The mission of God for the world started long before the book of Acts and the Great Commission. Throughout the Old Testament we see that the mission extended beyond individuals, beyond the kingly line, even beyond the nation of Israel. God’s mission was to redeem the whole world.
One of the places in the Old Testament that we see the mission of God extending beyond national borders is in the book of Jonah. Jonah is the reluctant missionary that is best remembered for being in the belly of the great fish. But his calling was to preach repentance in the city of Nineveh. “Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.”’ (Jonah 1:1-2)
Even before Jonah got to Nineveh though, God was working through him to call gentiles to the fear and knowledge of God. After the sailors finally threw Jonah into the sea, we are told that they, “Feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows.” (Jonah 1:16) Even in Jonah’s stubborn disobedience, God used him to reach gentiles.
Next, of course, Jonah became acquainted with the inside of a fish, repented, and was soon back on his way to Nineveh. The Ninevites, to whom God was sending him, were known as an evil and wicked people. The Hebrew word translated “evil”(some translations “wickedness”) in verse two, also contains the idea of ‘wildness’. These were not friendly, ‘good’ midwestern folks.
Jonah does his part and preaches the message of the LORD to the Ninevites. And then something amazing happens. It says in Jonah 3:5, “The people of Nineveh believed God.” God again used Jonah. He used his preaching to bring faith to this wicked and evil people. It was a wonderful turning to the LORD. It was something to rejoice in!
Ironically, Jonah didn’t see it this way. In his lack of mercy and compassion for the Ninevites, he gets angry. “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was angry.” (Jonah 4:1) Not what we would expect from a successful missionary! The problem was in Jonah’s heart. He had no compassion on the people, even though God had had compassion on him. He didn’t care for the souls of the people. In fact, he would have been happier to see them all perish.
The book of Jonah ends with a question. That’s kind of an odd way to end a book. It is God asking Jonah, “Should not I pity Nineveh?” (Jonah 4:11) It appears that the book ends with a question so that the reader, you and I, would ask ourselves the same question. We don’t know Jonah’s answer, but we can reflect on ourselves.
Our church has begun on a mission journey by choosing to start a church plant. This is all very exciting when we imagine the future church full of a bunch of people like ourselves. But the church plant is really for the Ninevites around us. How do our hearts feel towards the people, even the ‘wicked’ people of our community? Do our hearts break, recognizing the eternal peril of their souls? Or are we like hardened, stubborn Jonah? Please join with me in praying that God would give us a heart for our community. Not just for the lovely ones, but the unlovely too.
Link to the March 2025 Newsletter |
