Greater than Jonah

Sometimes, I need a simple story to make a message stick in my mind. The VeggieTales version of the story of Jonah is one of my favorites. The disobedience of the prophet Jonah is portrayed in a humorous, yet captivating story; the lessons are there for young and old alike.

Jonah was instructed to deliver a message to the people of Nineveh, but he was reluctant. After all, he was a Hebrew, a member of God's chosen people; he was not willing to share his God with the Ninevites, and he was not going to deliver a message to those wicked people! He did...

After a single day walking through that city, preaching against it, the people repented. The king proclaimed a fast, instructed everyone to pray and turn from their evil ways. God was merciful; He did not destroy Nineveh.

The people of Jesus's time were slower to recognize "something greater than Jonah", the Son of God, in their midst. Hardened hearts were incapable of believing, of relenting, of truly seeing the signs all around them.

Jonah did not accept that God's compassion could extend to all who called upon His name, but we can. We have an opportunity during these days of Lent to fast, to cry out to God, to turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel. God's mercy and forgiveness is still freely available to all.