Jonah
(Jonah)
The idea of a man spending three nights and three days inside a big fish- alive and then being spit out unharmed on God?s command, has been capturing the imaginations of children the world over. But is the moral in Jonah?s story only for children? Jonah was given a mission to preach against a powerful enemy of Israel. He was afraid to do it, so he ran away. On the sea ?journey a fierce storm arose and then Jonah realizes that he had committed a sin in blatantly disobeying the omnipotent Almighty. He asks to be thrown overboard. Then the sea becomes calm and a huge fish swallows him. He spends his time inside its belly asking forgiveness of God. He then proceeds to Nineveh to deliver God?s message that the city would be destroyed because of its numerous sins.
Nineveh repents- every man, woman and child, from the king down to the lowliest and beast fasts and prays for mercy. God in his infinite mercy, relents and spares the city. Jonah becomes very angry with this. He goes out of the city to await its destruction. God provides a vine to grow as a shelter to Jonah and kills it the next day. Jonah is sad about the vine. God then asks Jonah , why he is so sorry to see a vine die? He had neither planted nor tended it. God asks Jonah how much more he should pity and spare a city of over a lakh souls, when they repent and seek mercy of him.
There was no need for Jonah to run away. He lost his faith and had to be reminded again that , God would protect him anyway. Mercy and love for our fellow beings, bring us closer to God of mercies.
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