Jonah Runs from God
(Jonah 1)
Have you ever been told to do something you really didn't want to do? Maybe it was cleaning your room or helping a little brother or sister. But what if God himself asked you to do something? That's exactly what happened to a man named Jonah.
God gave Jonah a very important job. He said, "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." Nineveh was a huge city, and the people there were doing terrible things. God wanted Jonah to warn them to turn away from their sin.
But Jonah had a big problem. The people of Nineveh were enemies of Israel, known for being cruel and violent. Jonah didn't think they deserved God's mercy. So instead of obeying, he ran the other way. He went down to the port of Joppa, found a ship heading to Tarshish, and paid the fare to go aboard, thinking he could escape from the presence of the Lord.
The Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and a violent storm arose. The ship was in danger of breaking apart. The sailors were terrified. Each one cried out to his own god for help, and they threw the cargo overboard to make the ship lighter. Still the storm only got worse.
Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the ship and fallen into a deep sleep. The captain found him and shouted, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish."
The sailors cast lots to find out who was responsible for this terrible storm, and the lot fell on Jonah. They demanded to know who he was and what he had done. Jonah told them, "I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." He confessed he was running away from God.
The sailors were terrified. "What have you done?" they cried out, and they asked Jonah what they should do to make the sea calm down. Jonah knew the answer. He said, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea, and it will become calm. I know that this great storm has come upon you because of me."
The sailors didn't want to do it. They tried to row back to land, but they couldn't. So they cried out to the Lord, "Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man's life." Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the raging sea. Immediately, the sea grew calm. The sailors feared the Lord greatly, offered a sacrifice to him, and made vows to serve him.
As for Jonah, he didn't drown. The Lord provided a great fish to swallow him, and Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. God had not given up on Jonah. He had a plan, and he would use this unlikely situation to teach Jonah about mercy and obedience.
A Curious Question
Why do you think Jonah thought he could run away from God, who made the sea and the dry land?
Jesus Connection
God's prophets had a hard job. He often sent them to say things people did not want to hear, to people the prophets did not always want to help. Jonah is a perfect example. But God's plan was always bigger than what Jonah wanted.
Hundreds of years later, Jesus pointed back to this exact story. In Matthew 12, he told the religious leaders that just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, he himself would be in the grave for three days before rising again. Jonah went down into the deep and came back up alive. Jesus went down into death itself, and came back up too, for real, on the third day.
Discussion Questions
- Why did Jonah run away from God instead of obeying him?
- How did God show his power through the storm and the fish?
- What does this story teach us about God's patience with us when we make wrong choices?
"So What?" What Can I Do?
- Is there something God is asking you to do that you have been avoiding or making excuses about?
- When you feel afraid or don't want to obey, who can you talk to for help?
- What are some ways you can show mercy to someone you think doesn't deserve it?
Memorize God's Word
Psalm 139:7: "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?"
- Where can I go place both hands out to the sides with palms up, as if asking a question.
- from your Spirit point both index fingers up to heaven.
- Where can I flee make a running motion with your arms like you are running away.
- from your presence bring both hands in front of your chest and hold them out, showing God is everywhere.
Praying with Kids
Dear Father, thank you that we can never run away from your love. Help us to obey you even when we are afraid or don't want to. Give us courage to do what is right and mercy for others. In Jesus' name, amen.
Craft or Activity
Jonah and the Big Fish Diorama
Kids build a simple diorama showing the great fish swallowing Jonah in the middle of the storm at sea.
Materials Checklist:
- Fold a piece of blue construction paper in half to make the background of the sea.
- Draw waves and water on the blue paper using markers or crayons.
- Cut out a large fish shape from white cardstock and color it.
- Cut out a small Jonah figure from brown construction paper.
- Glue the fish onto the sea background and place Jonah inside the fish's mouth.
- Add extra sea creatures or storm clouds to complete your diorama.
Effective Teaching Techniques
For Younger Children: Focus on the idea that God is everywhere and we can't hide from him. Use simple language and lots of pictures to tell the story.
Prep Shortcut: Pre-cut the fish and Jonah shapes before class so younger children can focus on coloring and gluing.
Classroom Management: Keep the children engaged by having them make storm sounds during the story (rubbing hands together for rain, blowing for wind).
For Older Kids: Discuss the concept of mercy and why it was hard for Jonah to preach to Nineveh. Ask them what enemies they find hard to love.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why did God want Jonah to go to Nineveh?
- God saw that the people of Nineveh were doing terrible things, and he wanted Jonah to warn them so they could turn away from their sin.
- How long was Jonah inside the great fish?
- Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
- Why did the sailors throw Jonah into the sea?
- Jonah told them to. He knew the storm was happening because he was running from God, so he asked them to throw him into the sea to make it calm again.