Jonah 1:3-17: I Am Jonah - Obedience

It’s interesting, isn’t it? Have you ever been there? Have you ever been at the crossroads of a decision, knowing very well the direction you could head—either towards your calling or away from it? That is the heart of the series we find ourselves in today: I Am Jonah. It is a powerful realization because we know we are Jonah, and we are all standing at a crossroads.

Let’s turn in our Bibles to the minor prophets, to the book of Jonah. If you need to use your table of contents, don’t apologize; it’s there for a reason. It’s a small book and can be hard to find. We are taking an in-depth look at this prophet’s life. As we left him last week, he had a call. The word of the Lord came to Jonah and said, “Arise, get up, and go to Nineveh.” He had a calling to live out, just as you and I have a calling to love God and love our neighbor. Jonah is at a crossroads with that calling. He can move towards Nineveh, or he can move away.

My name is Jared, and I’m one of the pastors here at The Well. I have the privilege of serving over in Clovis and on the teaching team, and I’m just glad to be with you today. As we look at the rest of chapter one, we see Jonah’s immediate response to God’s command.

Jonah 1:3 (NASB)

But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

The Cost of the Flight

Jonah’s crossroads caused him to stand in the middle, look towards his calling, and flee. He ran away. In fact, he fled as far as he could go in the opposite direction of Nineveh. He packed his bags, walked down to a port city known then as Joppa (modern-day Jaffa), and asked for a ticket. He wanted to run and hide, but as we’re going to see, you can run, but you can’t hide from God.

Can you imagine what that interaction at the ticket booth was like? He pulls up and says, “I’ll have a ticket, please.” The clerk asks, “Where to, sir?” Jonah replies, “Anywhere is fine.” “Well, we have lots of ships leaving.” “Any one will do.” “What are you looking for?” “What ship is going the farthest away? I’ll take that one.” “Well, we have one leaving for Tarshish in thirty minutes.” “Sounds good. Here’s my money.”

If you research that phrase “paid the fare,” you understand that Jonah may have broken the bank here. He may have paid for the whole ship just to board it and flee. It cost him greatly. But he bought into the lie that he could get far enough away. King David understood the futility of this in the Psalms.

Psalms 139:7-10 (NASB)

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

We can’t take a bus, a plane, or a train to escape the presence of God, yet Jonah thought he could. Why did he run? We know from chapter four that his heart didn’t want the Ninevites to receive mercy. He decided his theology only went so far. He said, “If those people have the potential of receiving grace, I choose to run.”

Identifying Our Own Ninevehs

Jonah’s call was clear: “Arise, go to Nineveh.” The phrase “the word of the Lord came” appears seven times in this book. As a prophet, it was his job to hear and declare God’s word. But Nineveh was a place that conjured up deep, negative emotions. It was a place where people said, “I won’t go there—not those people.”

Fill in the blank for your own life. Where is the place you refuse to go? Maybe it’s a specific people group, or maybe it’s closer to home. Maybe it’s the Nineveh of your marriage, where you’ve neglected to nurture the spouse God gave you and ignored the vows you made. For years, you’ve been running and hiding. Maybe it’s the Nineveh of self-righteousness, where you have the right answers in your head, but your hands never reach out to the broken or the lost.

I am never surprised when I hear excuses or see people looking for “tickets to Tarshish.” We have an enemy who is against us and against God, and he will always provide a ticket if you are looking for one. But oh, we will pay the fare. And it will cost us dearly. It’s always “timely” that when things grow cold with your spouse, a kind word comes from a coworker who thinks you’re great. It’s always “timely” that when you’re struggling to parent with patience, you let anger take over and justify it.

We are called to be and make disciples, but we hide in the busyness of our schedules. We get distracted by technology. We dwell in superficial friendships, talking about football or The Bachelor, and we think we’re in deep community because we shared our TV schedule. I’m as guilty of this as you are. If I lost my phone today, I’d feel like my arm was cut off. Why do I need this thing so much? I was fine ten years ago! We are paying the price for these distractions. It is a fare that costs us our calling.

The Storm and the Sleep

Jonah gets on the boat and sails away. He goes down below the deck, lays on a burlap sack, and thinks he’s finally free. But God has other plans.

Jonah 1:4-5 (NASB)

The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten [it] for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep.

These Phoenician sailors were the best of the best. They were Canaanites—polytheistic pagans who believed in a god for everything. When the crisis hits, they start crying out to every god they can think of. The storm gets so violent that they start throwing their cargo—their paycheck—into the sea just to survive.

And where is Jonah? He’s asleep. It’s a deep sleep, the kind of heavy slumber the Bible describes when God is doing something significant. Now, I don’t like flying. I loathe the smell of the cabin and I’m anxious the whole time. I’ve learned to watch the flight attendants. If the plane shakes and they’re still serving $15 snacks, I’m okay. But if they sit down, strap on that four-point harness, and look worried, my prayer life is suddenly enhanced. I become an evangelist! I’ll ask the person next to me, “If we go down, do you know where you’re going?”

That’s the level of panic these sailors were in. These were the professionals, and they were terrified. Meanwhile, Jonah is spiraling downward. Disobedience is always a downward staircase: down to Joppa, down into the boat, down into the sea.

Jonah 1:6 (NASB)

So the captain approached him and said, ‘How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps [your] god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.’

The captain uses the same word God used: “Arise.” Even in his slumber, Jonah hears the echo of his calling. The pagan captain has to ask the prophet of God to pray. Isn’t that fascinating? Even when Jonah tries to hide, God is still using the situation to shape him.

Busted by Providence

Jonah 1:7-10 (NASB)

Each man said to his mate, ‘Come, let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity [has struck] us.’ So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, ‘Tell us, now! On whose account [has] this calamity [struck] us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?’ He said to them, ‘I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.’ Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, ‘How could you do this?’ For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

They cast lots—likely stones with black and white sides—to find out who was responsible. I imagine this like a movie scene. The camera pans from the tumbling dice to Jonah’s eyes, filled with shame and guilt. He knew he was busted.

They pepper him with questions: “Who are you? Where are you from? What is your job?” They were looking for a zip code for his God so they’d know who to appease. Jonah answers everything except his occupation. He doesn’t say, “I’m a prophet.” He says, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and dry land.”

Even in his running, his theology is intact. He knows exactly who he is running from. As Proverbs tells us, there is no such thing as luck when God is involved.

Proverbs 16:33 (NASB)

The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD.

The Sacrifice and the Sea

As Jonah speaks, the storm grows worse, as if to affirm his confession. Jonah, at the end of his rope and tired of running, gives them the solution.

Jonah 1:11-16 (NASB)

So they said to him, ‘What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?’– for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. He said to them, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm [has come] upon you.’ However, the men rowed [desperately] to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming [even] stormier against them. Then they called on the LORD and said, ‘We earnestly pray, O LORD, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O LORD, have done as You have pleased.’ So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.

Jonah says, “Hurl me into the sea.” Our disobedience always brings others into the mix. We believe the lie that our sin only affects us, but ask any child whose parent walked out, or any employee at a company ruined by executive greed. Our actions have ripples.

These pagan sailors, surprisingly, show more grace than Jonah. They try to row harder. They try to save him. But you can’t work your way out of a divine storm. There are two approaches to God: you can try harder, or you can embrace the grace provided. They tried hard, but they could not win. Finally, they pray to Jonah’s God, throw him overboard, and the sea goes instantly calm.

Can you imagine that moment? One second, a raging tempest; the next, total silence. The sailors feared the Lord exceedingly. In Jonah’s disobedience, God still drew men to Himself. That is how sovereign our God is.

One Greater Than Jonah

Jonah reaches the lowest point of his life. He is swallowed by a great fish, where he remains for three days and nights.

Jonah 1:17 (NASB)

And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.

But this isn’t just a story about a fish. If you know your Bible, this should remind you of another story. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is in a boat with His disciples. A storm comes up, and where is Jesus? He’s asleep. The disciples wake Him, panicking, “Don’t you care that we are perishing?”

Mark 4:38 (NASB)

Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’

With three words—“Peace, be still”—Jesus calms the storm. Jonah told the sailors, “Sacrifice me, and you’ll live.” Jesus, the one who is greater than Jonah, became the ultimate sacrifice so that we might live. He didn’t just save a few sailors; He gave us the right to be called children of God.

Some of you have been running from God your whole life. Maybe that call is getting louder today. You need to stop running and respond to the sacrifice Jesus made for you. For others, you’re running from a specific “Nineveh” in your life. Stop letting your disobedience affect those around you. Confess, repent, and trust the God who can calm the sea.

I am Jonah. You are Jonah. We all have a calling, and we can’t escape it. You can run, but you can’t hide. Let’s stop running and start walking in obedience.