Fish Stories: Jonah’s Rebellion – Monday
Jonah 1:1-2
“A message from the LORD came to Jonah, the son of Amittai. The LORD said, “Go to the great city of Nineveh. Preach against it. The sins of its people have come to my attention.” (NIRV)
Did your family have a “chore chart” at home growing up? In my family, each kid had an assigned chore each day that never changed. Mine was doing the dishes after dinner. Believe me, if I could have traded for any other chore, I would have. Dishes were the worst of the worst. On occasion (if I could get away with it) I would blast from the dinner table right before we finished with some “urgent task” that required my full attention. I’d be gone long enough that doing the dishes would fall to some other unlucky person, and I’d be off the hook.
In Jonah’s “chore chart”, the words “Go To Ninevah” are written in bold letters. And just like me, he blasted away as soon as he could, hoping the task would fall into someone else’s lap. Unfortunately for him, God had chosen him specifically, and no one else would do.
When I think about what might be in our “chore chart” as Christians, The Great Commission in Matthew 28 comes to mind. Jesus leaves his disciples with this:
“So you must go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19 (NIRV)
As followers of Christ, it is our responsibility to carry out this work. We have been given the same command as Jonah: to go to those who do not know God, and tell them this Good News. We have even less reason for disobedience to God’s commands than Jonah did because we have Jonah’s example set before us.
Monday’s Reflection
What ways can you share the message of Christ this week? Make a list of little ways you can share the Good News, and keep it with you. Maybe you stick up for that friend or co-worker who always gets the short end of the stick. Maybe you invite someone to accompany you to church on Sunday. Or maybe you just share a meal with someone and listen to their story.