“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, “Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.” Jonah 1:1-2

I like Jonah. He’s honest with himself. He is has no interest in going to Nineveh and preaching to “those kind” of people. When God called him to go to Nineveh, his response is simply, “No.”

Jonah does with any God-fearing person does, when they are called to a task they don’t want to do. He  finds a boat heading the opposite direction, as far from Nineveh and God’s call to him, as he can get.

But God’s call is not so easily silenced. The Great Hound of heaven is a pursuing God. When God calls, God keeps on calling. Jonah thinks he can escape the reach of God’s hand. He thought there was a place where he could run from God’s presence. Which was his first mistake. Running away was his second. Thinking that God would not pursue him was the third. For God’s own reasons, God is intent on Jonah going to Nineveh.

Yet, Jonah’s reluctance to go to Nineveh, makes a person wonder, why doesn’t God send another prophet? Why would God send Jonah off on a mission he neither believes in or has any desire to do?

With all of the prophets in Israel, why does God choose Jonah? Are there no others to send? None who would welcome a chance to tell Israel’s detested enemy, the Ninevites, they were on God’s radar and God was going to destroy the city?

After detouring on the way to Tarshish and  being swallowed by a fish, that spews him out, Jonah gets the message. The call to Nineveh is not going away. We find the prophet reluctantly walking the streets of Nineveh, proclaiming his message of doom, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4) Then he waits and hopes to see the city destroyed.

But the city repents, and God is moved to change direction. Which upsets Jonah. He fumes to God saying, “I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and relenting from punishment.” Jonah 4:2

Jonah understands God’s character. He knows that God is compassionate and understanding. He knows of God’s love and care for people . He just doesn’t want God to care for the wrong kind of people. Ninevites are the wrong kind. He complains to God and in his anger he claims he wants to die.

So the question really is . . .  Does God send Jonah to Nineveh to get the people of Nineveh to repent, or does God send Jonah to Nineveh, to get Jonah to repent . . . of his biases, his prejudice, his superiority, his hatred?

For as Jonah walked the streets of Nineveh and saw a child smile, or heard a baby’s laughter, was nothing able to soften his heart? Standing among Nineveh’s people, was he still unable to see the humanity of those he hated?

If this is were God led Jonah, what does it mean for each of us, in our biases and prejudices? Who is it that God is calling us to love, to care about, and to advocate for, even or especially, in our reluctance?

The full story of Jonah’s journey to Nineveh can be found in chapters 1 through 4 in the  Biblical book of Jonah.