On Sunday morning, Ricky opened up the first chapter of Jonah and immediately asked us to do something surprisingly difficult: forget about the fish. Because the fish, he suggested, is actually one of the kindest things God does in the whole story. The real story – the one that hits closest to home – is about running. Running from a call you know is real, from a person you’d rather not have to face, from a direction God keeps pointing you in that you keep finding reasons to avoid. Jonah sprints in the opposite direction as hard and as far as he possibly can, and if we’re honest, most of us know exactly what that feels like.
The context matters here. Nineveh wasn’t just a difficult posting – it was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, a nation responsible for dismantling ten of Israel’s twelve tribes and some of the most brutal atrocities in the ancient world. God asking Jonah to go there and offer them a chance to repent was an almost unbearable request. And Jonah, as a prophet, knew exactly what would happen if he went and they listened. God would forgive them. That was what he couldn’t stomach. So he headed for Tarshish – 2,500 miles in the exact opposite direction, the farthest point on the known map. Not just disobedience. Maximum distance.
What followed drew us in not as ancient history but as a mirror. The storm that threatens the ship, the sailors who end up crying out to God before Jonah does, the moment Jonah simply says “it is my fault” – all of it was applied with honesty and warmth to the ways we run, the costs our running has for those around us, and the mercy that refuses to let us drown in our own rebellion. Ricky closed with three plain, practical invitations that were hard to ignore.
Bible References
- Jonah 1:1-17
- Psalm 103:8
- Isaiah 30:21
Key Teaching Points
Running rarely feels like rebellion
One of the most disarming moments in the sermon was the reminder that disobeying God doesn’t usually feel dramatic. We don’t storm off or shake our fist. We just say “not yet.” We get busy. We find alternatives. Jonah’s running looked like a sensible travel decision – there was a boat, it was going the right way, he bought a ticket. The issue wasn’t that the option was available. The issue was that he already knew what he was supposed to do.
“Running is not dramatic. That’s what makes it so easy. It doesn’t feel like rebellion. It just feels like saying… yeah not yet.”
There will always be a boat heading to Tarshish
Ricky drew out something subtle but important: the presence of an opportunity doesn’t make it the right one. When we’re already leaning away from what God is asking, a convenient alternative can feel like permission – even like provision. But availability isn’t the same as blessing. Jonah found a boat, got on it, and went below deck. The ease of it didn’t make it right.
“Just because the boat is there does not mean God is on it.”
Disobedience doesn’t stay private
Every sailor on that ship was thrown into a life-threatening storm because of one man’s private decision to run. Ricky was careful not to use this as a hammer, but the point was clear and worth sitting with. When we withdraw, go through the motions, or deliberately avoid where we know we should be heading, the people around us feel it – even when they don’t know what’s causing it.
“When we run, we tell ourselves it’s a private matter. Between us and God. Nobody else’s business… But disobedience doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It ripples outward.”
The outsiders often respond before the insiders do
One of the sharpest observations in the whole sermon was about the sailors. These were pagan men who didn’t know the God of Israel – and yet they showed compassion to Jonah, tried everything to avoid throwing him overboard, cried out to God, and worshipped when the storm stopped. Meanwhile Jonah – the prophet, the one who knew all the right words – was still below deck. God’s mercy isn’t reserved for people who feel they’ve earned the right to receive it.
“God’s mercy is not limited to the people who think they deserve it.”
The fish is a rescue vessel, not a punishment
The detail everyone remembers – the great fish – was reframed in a way that genuinely landed. God doesn’t send it to make an example of Jonah. He sends it to stop him drowning. The mercy Jonah wanted to withhold from Nineveh is the very mercy being shown to him at the bottom of the sea. The storm, the fish, the whole unwelcome interruption – all of it is God refusing to let Jonah go.
“That same mercy Jonah wanted to withhold from Nineveh is the mercy that pulls him back from the bottom of the sea.”
Going Deeper
Take some time this week to reflect on these questions:
- What is your Nineveh right now – the person, conversation, or direction you keep finding reasons to avoid? Can you name it honestly, even just to yourself?
- Is there a “boat to Tarshish” in your life at the moment – something available and plausible that you’ve been treating as permission to go a different way? How do you tell the difference between an open door and a convenient distraction?
- Jonah’s running had consequences for people around him who had nothing to do with his calling. Are there people in your life who may be feeling the weather of a storm they don’t know you’re carrying?
- The sailors responded to God before the prophet did. Is there someone in your life – someone you might have written off – who God could be working in more than you’ve allowed yourself to imagine?
- Ricky invited anyone who has been “below deck” – going through the motions or checked out – to start simply by saying “it’s my fault.” What would it mean for you to say those three words honestly this week?
If something in this sermon has stirred something in you, don’t let it fade on the drive home. Talk to someone, pray it through, and remember: the God who pursued Jonah across the sea is the same God who is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love – and he is already further ahead of your running than you think.
[Disclaimer: this summary of the message is based on the preacher’s notes or a transcript of the message delivered, and has been produced by AI before being reviewed and edited.]
