So, God says, "Hey, Jonah, go to Nineveh!"
Jonah says, "Uh-uh."
Big storm, scared sailors, "throw me in," fish-as-prayer-closet, Jonah lands (slightly the worse for wear) on the beach.
God says, "Hey, Jonah, go to Nineveh!"
Jonah rolls his eyes and says, "OK, fine. But I know what You're gonna do!"
Jonah goes to Nineveh. [Seven HUNDRED miles from Joppa as the crow flies, never mind how far on foot or donkey!!]
"Hey, guys, 40 days and you're toast."
Nineveh listens.
So next, Jonah--WAIT!!
Back up.
What just happened?
Nineveh listened?!
The Big City, the Hong Kong, the Big Apple, the London, the Rio of the ancient world, the Rome before Rome. . . the whole place, from king and nobles to water boy's donkey, put on sack cloth and fast and pray and beg God for mercy?!
That God listens to them is no surprise. Even Jonah knew He would.
That all Nineveh listens to this nobody from a teensy little country the other side of the Saudi peninsula--that's impossible!
Why? Why on earth did they pay the slightest attention to him? Why didn't they kill him in some brutal fashion, as was their Assyrian custom? Or just ignore him?
Everybody always talks about the fish. Is it true, is it myth, is it metaphor or allegory. . . I can't remember anyone ever paying much attention to the much bigger miracle in this story.
Or at least I didn't. What could make 120,000 people "who didn't know their right hand from their left" pay attention to some guy with fishy breath and a doomsday sandwich board?
Or. . . what would make anyone want to listen to me, with all my warts and foibles and irritating tendencies?
Or is the biggest miracle of all that the Creator of the universe deals personally, profoundly, and persistently with -- well. . . with whoever?
That is pretty amazing that a bunch of dyed-in-the-wool heathens would suddenly listen! Never thought much about that before. Thank you!
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