Biblical Missionaries The Jonah Saga

Lesson #4 for July 25, 2015

Scriptures: [Jonah 1-4; 2 Kings 14:25; Isaiah 44:8; 56:7; Matthew 12:40; Revelation 14:6-12][i].

1.    From the days of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3)ii to the present time, God has struggled to get His faithful people to reach out to those around them. The story of Jonah is an account of an occasion when God specifically ordered one of His prophets to reach out to a heathen, savage, war-like group of people in the city of Nineveh and give them the gospel message.

2.    Jonah was a recognized prophet of God (2 Kings 14:25)iii and may even have been employed by Jeroboam II, the king about 750 B.C. Jeroboam II was a very wicked king, following the example of Jeroboam I who intentionally turned the people of the northern kingdom of Israel away from worshiping Yahweh at Jerusalem and set up pagan altars at Bethel and Dan.

3.    Even the disciples of Jesus had a very difficult time accepting the idea that they were supposed to reach out to Samaritans and Gentiles. Compare the story of Peter and Cornelius as recorded in [Acts 10 and 11. (Compare John 4.)]iv

4.    Try to imagine Jonah's initial reaction when God called him to go and preach a message of salvation to the people of Nineveh, one of the capitals of Assyria. The Assyrians repeatedly invaded and conquered Israel, forced them to pay tribute, murdered many of them, and generally made their lives miserable.

5.    There are some interesting parallels between the story of Jonah and the story of Jesus. Jonah came from the town of Gath Hepher, only a few miles from Nazareth where Jesus grew up. Both were considered Galilean prophets even though they were separated by 750 years.

6.    Read [Jonah 1:1-3,9,12; 2:1-9; 3:3-10][v]. How do you think you would have responded to God's command if you had been Jonah? What was Jonah's response? What do we learn about Jonah from these passages? Remember that Jonah was apparently a prophet of the true God, living in the midst of the rebellious and idolatrous Israelite nation under Jeroboam II. Jonah took God's command seriously; but, he chose to rebel against it. Can you blame him? We do not know for sure who wrote this book; but, it certainly does not hide the faults of Jonah! Did Jonah tell his story? Did he speak with great conviction? What else did he say?

7.    Do you find it encouraging to see that God has used even flawed human beings to do His will? Moses and Isaiah thought that they could not speak well enough. Amos stated that he was only a farmer. Gideon was a frightened idol worshiper. Think of the problems that we know about Sampson, David, and even Solomon. Yet, God used each of them. Can He use us?

8.    Read Isaiah 56:7vi. Repeatedly in the Old Testament, God called for the nations to come to Israel to worship Him. But, in this case, God sent Jonah to Nineveh. Was God forced to change His plans because the people were so wicked in Israel? Despite God's command to go east by land and preach to the Ninevites, why did Jonah chose to go west by sea?

9.    The story of Jonah and the “big fish” is quite widely known. Very few people in our generation believe the story. Why do you think that is? Do you choose to believe it as a true story? Why do you choose to believe it? Read [Mark 4:35-41; Matthew 8:23-27; Luke 8:22-25]vii. There are some interesting parallels between this story about Jonah and the story of Jesus. Both Jonah and Jesus were sleeping in the bottom of a boat when a terrible storm arose. Both crews thought they were going to die. Both Jonah and Jesus were awakened. Jonah instructed the crew of the ship to throw him overboard and the sea would become calm, and it did. Jesus awoke, stood up, and commanded the waves to stand still; and they did. Do you think God intended for us to compare and contrast these two stories?

10.    Notice Jonah's reply to the sailors on his boat when they asked him about his identity. He said: “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” (Jonah 1:9, NIV) Even though most pagan nations in Jonah's day believed that the sea was the habitation of the evil god Mot, Jonah recognize that Yahweh was the true God of both land and sea.

11.    Read [Matthew 28:19-20. Compare Revelation 14:6]viii. In contrast to Jonah, the early disciples and apostles finally recognized that the gospel message was supposed to go to all the world. It is supposed to reach every “people group.”

12.    Early Adventists made the same mistake that the early disciples made in believing that they only needed to reach out to groups that were easily accessible to them. They believed that preaching the gospel to every nation and people group meant that they were supposed to spread the gospel to all those who had come to America.

13.    Do you think it is possible that God still expects us to reach out and carry the gospel to communist nations like Russia and China and Cuba? What about Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, or even Somalia or Iran? While we believe that there is only one God, (Isaiah 44:8; 45:56) how should we relate to those who do not believe in God at all, who believe in the Big Bang theory and evolution, and laugh at those who trust in the Bible?

14.    What do you think about the story of the fish swallowing Jonah? When you are among your non-Christian friends and if they were to ask questions about the Bible, do you wish that the story of Jonah was not there? Read [Jonah 1:17-2:10; Matthew 12:39-41]ix. Like Jesus quoting the story of the rich man and Lazarus, (Luke 16:19-31)[x] was Jesus just quoting the story of Jonah because He understood that the people of His day thought it was true? Or, was He quoting it because He knew it was a historical fact? There are accounts in recorded history when people have been swallowed by whales, for example, and then have been vomited up and survived! (See http://theox.org/index.cfm/PageID/701/index.html - go to Teachers Guides, Minor Prophets, then Jonah -item # 4.) No matter what you believe about the story, there is no possible explanation except to say that it was a miraculous event.

15.    There is evidence that the phrase “three days and three nights” was an ancient figure of speech expressing the time needed for the imaginary journey to Sheol, the Hebrew name for the realm of the dead. Considering what happened to him, Jonah indeed should have been as good as dead. (Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide for Tuesday, July 21)

16.    Biblical time is most often inclusive. That means that any part of a day is counted as if it were a whole day. Thus, three days and three nights as in the experience of Jesus may have included nothing more than a small part of one day, an entire second day, and a small part of a third day. In any case, the story was a miracle.

17.    What can we learn from the psalm prayed by Jonah while in the belly of the fish? There are a number of songs of deliverance like this one that follow a fairly strict pattern: 1) Introduction, 2) Description of the distress, 3) A cry to God for help, 4) A report of God's action, and 5) A promise to keep any vow made and to testify to God's saving action. Have you ever made such a vow to God under a stressful situation?

18.    Read Jonah 3xi. How do you think Jonah felt when God repeated His call to go to Nineveh? God is certainly persistent! He seems to expect us to do what He asks us to do. And He clearly wants us to witness for Him.

19.    God's messages are often given in the general format of a threat and then a promise. Sometimes, we call them judgment and gospel. When Jonah finally arrived at Nineveh, the only message we have recorded from him was seven words in length, “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!” (Jonah 3:4, GNB) How much more did Jonah say beyond those few words? Did he stop to answer any questions? Did he tell of his personal experience? Did the people know about his experience? What evidence did he provide to verify his story?

20.    Read Revelation 14:6-12xii. As Seventh-day Adventists, don't we believe that God has given us His final message for this world? In what ways is our message similar to the message of Jonah? God does not suggest that we should tone down His message in any way.

21.    What was the response to Jonah's message? Read Jonah 3:5-10xiii. What an incredible response! Compare Deuteronomy 18:21-22xiv. Was Jonah's reputation destroyed?

Jonah is the only person in the Scriptures who accuses God of being gracious, compassionate, and slow to anger, abounding in love and who relents from sending calamity. One would think most people would view these aspects of God with thankfulness. (Op. sit. for Thursday, July 23)

When Jonah learned of God's purpose to spare the city that, notwithstanding its wickedness, had been led to repent in sackcloth and ashes, he should have been the first to rejoice because of God's amazing grace; but instead he allowed his mind to dwell upon the possibility of his being regarded as a false prophet. Jealous of his reputation, he lost sight of the infinitely greater value of the souls in that wretched city. The compassion shown by God toward the repentant Ninevites “displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.” [Jonah 4:1]—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 271. [Content in brackets is added.]

Remember that Deuteronomy 18:21-22xv suggests that if a prophets predictions do not come true, he is not speaking for God. On the other hand, just because one's “promise” or prediction comes true does not mean that he speaks for God. (Deuteronomy 13:1-3)xvi

22.    In the New Testament, Paul was proud of the gospel. He believed that it was powerful enough to save both Jews and Gentiles. (Romans 1:16-17)xvii How would you compare Jonah's response in Jonah 4:1-3xviii? Was Jonah really angry because God was so kind and loving? Imagine a person who wanted to see the entire population of Nineveh wiped out but was very angry because a plant that had provided a little shade for him died!

23.    What was Jonah's problem? What do you think Jonah said to his friends when he left home to go to Nineveh? In light of God's commands to him, did he believe that, in fact, his message would result in the wiping out of that entire wicked city? Was he afraid that when he went home to report that Nineveh had repented and was not lost, his friends would regard him as an unreliable prophet? Did he care most of all about his own reputation?

24.    Ellen White had some very interesting words to say following the famous 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The terrible earthquake that has visited San Francisco [The San Francisco earthquake of April 18-19, 1906 left 503 dead and resulted in an estimated $350 million in property damage.] will be followed by other manifestations of the power of God. His law has been transgressed. Cities have become polluted with sin.

Study the history of Nineveh. God sent a special message by Jonah to that wicked city. . . . Many such messages as his would be given in our age, if the wicked cities would repent as did Nineveh.—Ellen G. White, Ms 61a, June 3, 1906; Last Day Events 114.2. [Content in brackets was added by the editors;]

25.    Are we relieved of our responsibilities to carry the gospel to the cities because they will not repent as did Nineveh? What if we present the message poorly?

26.    What should we conclude from this story about Jonah? If God calls us to do something, no matter how difficult or even impossible it may seem, we need to move forward in faith. Do we really believe that God knows what He is doing?

27.    Do we believe that the blessings we claim by our observance of the Sabbath, our practice of health reform, and the benefits we receive from our Christian education are supposed to be exclusively for us? Why did God say what He did to the Laodiceans as recorded in Revelation 3:17-18xix. Do those words apply to us and only to us?

28.    It is clear that Jonah's main problem was his own personal reluctance to do what God asked him to do. Are we witnessing to our neighbors, our fellow workers, and our friends as God would have us to? If not, what is preventing us from doing so?

29.    Read Jonah 4:11xx. Was this question only for Jonah's benefit? Or, is it directed at us as well?

30.    Was Jonah really the best person God could find for that job? What does that tell us about the rest of Israel and/or Judah at that point in time? Would God have chosen Jonah if someone else could have done a better job?

31.    Surely, we can understand why Jonah may have been reluctant to go to Nineveh with such a message. What possible excuses can we give for not witnessing for God? Are we truly His disciples? Do we believe in the “Seventh-day Adventist message” for the end times? Or, are we always hiding in the most comfortable place and keeping our mouths shut?

32.    There are a lot of details about the Jonah story that can be found in the Teacher's Guide on Jonah at www.theox.org. Go to Teacher's Guides, then Minor Prophets, then Jonah.

33.    Is it possible that Jonah was reluctant to go to Nineveh not only because he was afraid but also because he felt a cultural and religious superiority and prejudice against them?

As Christian author Anne Lamott puts it: “You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.”—Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird (New York: Anchor Books, 1994), p. 22. (Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, p. 53)

34.    Are there people in your environment that you cannot reach out to because of feelings of superiority or prejudice? Was Jonah the best that God could find in his day?

35.    Try to image a “Jonah story” in the 21st century. Could God call some of us to do extraordinary things in reaching out to people groups that have not heard the gospel? Where would you be willing to go? Could God use us today? Could God call us to China?

36.    Maybe Jonah's greatest sin was his lack of empathy for the people of Nineveh. He seemed to care more about the plant that had provided him temporary shade than he did about the all those people in Nineveh! Are we concerned about the billions of people in our world who have not even heard about Jesus? Would we be willing to do something about them if God called us to do so? Could we at least give more support to those who are out there on the front lines of mission? Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, p 56:

If Sabbath School mission offering trends are any indicator, then the grand narrative of global outreach has indeed lost a great deal of its shine for Seventh-day Adventists. In 1932, during the Great Depression, per capita giving to the church's Sabbath School mission offerings was $5.83 per member for that year. More than eighty years later, with wages exponentially higher, the per capita mission giving was actually lower, with an average of $4.81 per member in 2010. (See Gina Wahlen, “100 Years of Mission Giving,” Adventist World, Nov. 1, 2012, pp. 16-19.)

37.    Have we lost our vision? Or, are we just becoming more like Jonah?

i-Jonah 1:1 One day the LORD spoke to Jonah son of Amittai. 2 He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it; I am aware of how wicked its people are.” 3 Jonah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD. He went to Joppa, where he found a ship about to go to Spain. He paid his fare and went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain, where he would be away from the LORD.

4 But the LORD sent a strong wind on the sea, and the storm was so violent that the ship was in danger of breaking up. 5 The sailors were terrified and cried out for help, each one to his own god. Then, in order to lessen the danger,[a] they threw the cargo[b] overboard. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone below and was lying in the ship's hold, sound asleep.

6 The captain found him there and said to him, “What are you doing asleep? Get up and pray to your god for help. Maybe he will feel sorry for us and spare our lives.”

7 The sailors said to each other, “Let's draw lots and find out who is to blame for getting us into this danger.” They did so, and Jonah's name was drawn. 8 So they said to him, “Now, then, tell us! Who is to blame for this? What are you doing here? What country do you come from? What is your nationality?”

9 “I am a Hebrew,” Jonah answered. “I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made land and sea.” 10 Jonah went on to tell them that he was running away from the LORD.

The sailors were terrified, and said to him, “That was an awful thing to do!”[c] 11 The storm was getting worse all the time, so the sailors asked him, “What should we do to you to stop the storm?”

12 Jonah answered, “Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm.”

13 Instead, the sailors tried to get the ship to shore, rowing with all their might. But the storm was becoming worse and worse, and they got nowhere. 14 So they cried out to the LORD, “O LORD, we pray, don't punish us with death for taking this man's life! You, O LORD, are responsible for all this; it is your doing.” 15 Then they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and it calmed down at once. 16 This made the sailors so afraid of the LORD that they offered a sacrifice and promised to serve him.

17 At the LORD's command a large fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah's Prayer

2 From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God:

2 “In my distress, O LORD, I called to you,

and you answered me.

From deep in the world of the dead

I cried for help, and you heard me.

3 You threw me down into the depths,

to the very bottom of the sea,

where the waters were all around me,

and all your mighty waves rolled over me.

4 I thought I had been banished from your presence

and would never see your holy Temple again.

5 The water came over me and choked me;

the sea covered me completely,

and seaweed wrapped around my head.

6 I went down to the very roots of the mountains,

into the land whose gates lock shut forever.[d]

But you, O LORD my God,

brought me back from the depths alive.

7 When I felt my life slipping away,

then, O LORD, I prayed to you,

and in your holy Temple you heard me.

8 Those who worship worthless idols

have abandoned their loyalty to you.

9 But I will sing praises to you;

I will offer you a sacrifice

and do what I have promised.

Salvation comes from the LORD!”

3 Once again the LORD spoke to Jonah. 2 He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to the people the message I have given you.” 3 So Jonah obeyed the LORD and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to walk through it. 4 Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day, he proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!”

5 The people of Nineveh believed God's message. So they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented.

6 When the king of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes. 7 He sent out a proclamation to the people of Nineveh: “This is an order from the king and his officials: No one is to eat anything; all persons, cattle, and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink. 8 All persons and animals must wear sackcloth. Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must give up their wicked behavior and their evil actions. 9 Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he will stop being angry, and we will not die!”

10 God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behavior. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.

4 Jonah was very unhappy about this and became angry. 2 So he prayed, “LORD, didn't I say before I left home that this is just what you would do? That's why I did my best to run away to Spain! I knew that you are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish. 3 Now then, LORD, let me die. I am better off dead than alive.”

4 The LORD answered, “What right do you have to be angry?”

5 Jonah went out east of the city and sat down. He made a shelter for himself and sat in its shade, waiting to see what would happen to Nineveh. 6 Then the LORD God made a plant grow up over Jonah to give him some shade, so that he would be more comfortable. Jonah was extremely pleased with the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day, at God's command, a worm attacked the plant, and it died. 8 After the sun had risen, God sent a hot east wind, and Jonah was about to faint from the heat of the sun beating down on his head. So he wished he were dead.[e] “I am better off dead than alive,” he said.

9 But God said to him, “What right do you have to be angry about the plant?”

Jonah replied, “I have every right to be angry—angry enough to die!”

10 The LORD said to him, “This plant grew up in one night and disappeared the next; you didn't do anything for it and you didn't make it grow—yet you feel sorry for it! 11 How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!”

2 Kings 14:25 He reconquered all the territory that had belonged to Israel, from Hamath Pass in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. This was what the LORD, the God of Israel, had promised through his servant the prophet Jonah son of Amittai from Gath Hepher.

Isaiah 44:8 Do not be afraid, my people!

You know that from ancient times until now

I have predicted all that would happen,

and you are my witnesses.

Is there any other god?

Is there some powerful god I never heard of?”

56:7 “I will bring you to Zion, my sacred hill,[a] give you joy in my house of prayer, and accept the sacrifices you offer on my altar. My Temple will be called a house of prayer for the people of all nations.”

Matthew 12:40 In the same way that Jonah spent three days and nights in the big fish, so will the Son of Man spend three days and nights in the depths of the earth.

Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying high in the air, with an eternal message of Good News to announce to the peoples of the earth, to every race, tribe, language, and nation. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Honor God and praise his greatness! For the time has come for him to judge all people. Worship him who made heaven, earth, sea, and the springs of water!”

8 A second angel followed the first one, saying, “She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She made all peoples drink her wine—the strong wine of her immoral lust!”

9 A third angel followed the first two, saying in a loud voice, “Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand 10 will themselves drink God's wine, the wine of his fury, which he has poured at full strength into the cup of his anger! All who do this will be tormented in fire and sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up forever and ever. There is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, for anyone who has the mark of its name.”

12 This calls for endurance on the part of God's people, those who obey God's commandments and are faithful to Jesus.

ii-Genesis 12:12 The LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's home, and go to a land that I am going to show you. 2 I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will bless you and make your name famous, so that you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,

But I will curse those who curse you.

And through you I will bless all the nations.”

iii-2 Kings 14:25 He reconquered all the territory that had belonged to Israel, from Hamath Pass in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. This was what the LORD, the God of Israel, had promised through his servant the prophet Jonah son of Amittai from Gath Hepher.

iv-Acts 10:1There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, who was a captain in the Roman army regiment called “The Italian Regiment.” 2 He was a religious man; he and his whole family worshiped God. He also did much to help the Jewish poor people and was constantly praying to God. 3 It was about three o'clock one afternoon when he had a vision, in which he clearly saw an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius!”

4 He stared at the angel in fear and said, “What is it, sir?”

The angel answered, “God is pleased with your prayers and works of charity, and is ready to answer you. 5 And now send some men to Joppa for a certain man whose full name is Simon Peter. 6 He is a guest in the home of a tanner of leather named Simon, who lives by the sea.” 7 Then the angel went away, and Cornelius called two of his house servants and a soldier, a religious man who was one of his personal attendants. 8 He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.

9 The next day, as they were on their way and coming near Joppa, Peter went up on the roof of the house about noon in order to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat; while the food was being prepared, he had a vision. 11 He saw heaven opened and something coming down that looked like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles, and wild birds. 13 A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat!”

14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord! I have never eaten anything ritually unclean or defiled.”

15 The voice spoke to him again, “Do not consider anything unclean that God has declared clean.” 16 This happened three times, and then the thing was taken back up into heaven.

17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of this vision, the men sent by Cornelius had learned where Simon's house was, and they were now standing in front of the gate. 18 They called out and asked, “Is there a guest here by the name of Simon Peter?”

19 Peter was still trying to understand what the vision meant, when the Spirit said, “Listen! Three[a] men are here looking for you. 20 So get ready and go down, and do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” 21 So Peter went down and said to the men, “I am the man you are looking for. Why have you come?”

22 “Captain Cornelius sent us,” they answered. “He is a good man who worships God and is highly respected by all the Jewish people. An angel of God told him to invite you to his house, so that he could hear what you have to say.” 23 Peter invited the men in and had them spend the night there.

The next day he got ready and went with them; and some of the believers from Joppa went along with him. 24 The following day he arrived in Caesarea, where Cornelius was waiting for him, together with relatives and close friends that he had invited. 25 As Peter was about to go in, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and bowed down before him. 26 But Peter made him rise. “Stand up,” he said, “I myself am only a man.” 27 Peter kept on talking to Cornelius as he went into the house, where he found many people gathered. 28 He said to them, “You yourselves know very well that a Jew is not allowed by his religion to visit or associate with Gentiles. But God has shown me that I must not consider any person ritually unclean or defiled. 29 And so when you sent for me, I came without any objection. I ask you, then, why did you send for me?”

30 Cornelius said, “It was about this time three days ago that I was praying[b] in my house at three o'clock in the afternoon. Suddenly a man dressed in shining clothes stood in front of me 31 and said: ‘Cornelius! God has heard your prayer and has taken notice of your works of charity. 32 Send someone to Joppa for a man whose full name is Simon Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner of leather, who lives by the sea.’ 33 And so I sent for you at once, and you have been good enough to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God, waiting to hear anything that the Lord has instructed you to say.”

34 Peter began to speak: “I now realize that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis. 35 Those who fear him and do what is right are acceptable to him, no matter what race they belong to. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, proclaiming the Good News of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know of the great event that took place throughout the land of Israel, beginning in Galilee after John preached his message of baptism. 38 You know about Jesus of Nazareth and how God poured out on him the Holy Spirit and power. He went everywhere, doing good and healing all who were under the power of the Devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses of everything that he did in the land of Israel and in Jerusalem. Then they put him to death by nailing him to a cross. 40 But God raised him from death three days later and caused him to appear, 41 not to everyone, but only to the witnesses that God had already chosen, that is, to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from death. 42 And he commanded us to preach the gospel to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God has appointed judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets spoke about him, saying that all who believe in him will have their sins forgiven through the power of his name.”

44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who were listening to his message. 45 The Jewish believers who had come from Joppa with Peter were amazed that God had poured out his gift of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speaking in strange tongues and praising God's greatness. Peter spoke up: 47 “These people have received the Holy Spirit, just as we also did. Can anyone, then, stop them from being baptized with water?” 48 So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay with them for a few days.

Acts 11:1 The apostles and the other believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 When Peter went to Jerusalem, those who were in favor of circumcising Gentiles criticized him, saying, 3 “You were a guest in the home of uncircumcised Gentiles, and you even ate with them!” 4 So Peter gave them a complete account of what had happened from the very beginning:

5 “While I was praying in the city of Joppa, I had a vision. I saw something coming down that looked like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it stopped next to me. 6 I looked closely inside and saw domesticated and wild animals, reptiles, and wild birds. 7 Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat!’ 8 But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord! No ritually unclean or defiled food has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 The voice spoke again from heaven, ‘Do not consider anything unclean that God has declared clean.’ 10 This happened three times, and finally the whole thing was drawn back up into heaven. 11 At that very moment three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where I was[a] staying. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitation. These six fellow believers from Joppa accompanied me to Caesarea, and we all went into the house of Cornelius. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send someone to Joppa for a man whose full name is Simon Peter. 14 He will speak words to you by which you and all your family will be saved.’ 15 And when I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 It is clear that God gave those Gentiles the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; who was I, then, to try to stop God!”

18 When they heard this, they stopped their criticism and praised God, saying, “Then God has given to the Gentiles also the opportunity to repent and live!”

19 Some of the believers who were scattered by the persecution which took place when Stephen was killed went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the message to Jews only. 20 But other believers, who were from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and proclaimed the message to Gentiles[b] also, telling them the Good News about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord's power was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

22 The news about this reached the church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw how God had blessed the people, he was glad and urged them all to be faithful and true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and many people were brought to the Lord.

25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he took him to Antioch, and for a whole year the two met with the people of the church and taught a large group. It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.

27 About that time some prophets went from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and by the power of the Spirit predicted that a severe famine was about to come over all the earth. (It came when Claudius was emperor.) 29 The disciples decided that they each would send as much as they could to help their fellow believers who lived in Judea. 30 They did this, then, and sent the money to the church elders by Barnabas and Saul.

John 4:1The Pharisees heard that Jesus was winning and baptizing more disciples than John. (2 Actually, Jesus himself did not baptize anyone; only his disciples did.) 3 So when Jesus heard what was being said, he left Judea and went back to Galilee; 4 on his way there he had to go through Samaria.

5 In Samaria he came to a town named Sychar, which was not far from the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by the trip, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

7 A Samaritan woman came to draw some water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink of water.” (8 His disciples had gone into town to buy food.)

9 The woman answered, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan—so how can you ask me for a drink?” (Jews will not use the same cups and bowls that Samaritans use.)[a]

10 Jesus answered, “If you only knew what God gives and who it is that is asking you for a drink, you would ask him, and he would give you life-giving water.”

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you don't have a bucket, and the well is deep. Where would you get that life-giving water? 12 It was our ancestor Jacob who gave us this well; he and his children and his flocks all drank from it. You don't claim to be greater than Jacob, do you?”

13 Jesus answered, “Those who drink this water will get thirsty again, 14 but those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give them will become in them a spring which will provide them with life-giving water and give them eternal life.”

15 “Sir,” the woman said, “give me that water! Then I will never be thirsty again, nor will I have to come here to draw water.”

16 “Go and call your husband,” Jesus told her, “and come back.”

17 “I don't have a husband,” she answered.

Jesus replied, “You are right when you say you don't have a husband. 18 You have been married to five men, and the man you live with now is not really your husband. You have told me the truth.”

19 “I see you are a prophet, sir,” the woman said. 20 “My Samaritan ancestors worshiped God on this mountain, but you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where we should worship God.”

21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the time will come when people will not worship the Father either on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans do not really know whom you worship; but we Jews know whom we worship, because it is from the Jews that salvation comes. 23 But the time is coming and is already here, when by the power of God's Spirit people will worship the Father as he really is, offering him the true worship that he wants. 24 God is Spirit, and only by the power of his Spirit can people worship him as he really is.”

25 The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah will come, and when he comes, he will tell us everything.”

26 Jesus answered, “I am he, I who am talking with you.”

27 At that moment Jesus' disciples returned, and they were greatly surprised to find him talking with a woman. But none of them said to her, “What do you want?” or asked him, “Why are you talking with her?”

28 Then the woman left her water jar, went back to the town, and said to the people there, 29 “Come and see the man who told me everything I have ever done. Could he be the Messiah?” 30 So they left the town and went to Jesus.

31 In the meantime the disciples were begging Jesus, “Teacher, have something to eat!”

32 But he answered, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

33 So the disciples started asking among themselves, “Could somebody have brought him food?”

34 “My food,” Jesus said to them, “is to obey the will of the one who sent me and to finish the work he gave me to do. 35 You have a saying, ‘Four more months and then the harvest.’ But I tell you, take a good look at the fields; the crops are now ripe and ready to be harvested! 36 The one who reaps the harvest is being paid and gathers the crops for eternal life; so the one who plants and the one who reaps will be glad together. 37 For the saying is true, ‘Someone plants, someone else reaps.’ 38 I have sent you to reap a harvest in a field where you did not work; others worked there, and you profit from their work.”

39 Many of the Samaritans in that town believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I have ever done.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they begged him to stay with them, and Jesus stayed there two days.

41 Many more believed because of his message, 42 and they told the woman, “We believe now, not because of what you said, but because we ourselves have heard him, and we know that he really is the Savior of the world.”

43 After spending two days there, Jesus left and went to Galilee. 44 For he himself had said, “Prophets are not respected in their own country.” 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the people there welcomed him, because they had gone to the Passover Festival in Jerusalem and had seen everything that he had done during the festival.

46 Then Jesus went back to Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. A government official was there whose son was sick in Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to go to Capernaum and heal his son, who was about to die. 48 Jesus said to him, “None of you will ever believe unless you see miracles and wonders.”

49 “Sir,” replied the official, “come with me before my child dies.”

50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live!”

The man believed Jesus' words and went. 51 On his way home his servants met him with the news, “Your boy is going to live!”

52 He asked them what time it was when his son got better, and they answered, “It was one o'clock yesterday afternoon when the fever left him.” 53 Then the father remembered that it was at that very hour when Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his family believed.

54 This was the second miracle that Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

v-Jonah 1:1One day the LORD spoke to Jonah son of Amittai. 2 He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and speak out against it; I am aware of how wicked its people are.” 3 Jonah, however, set out in the opposite direction in order to get away from the LORD. He went to Joppa, where he found a ship about to go to Spain. He paid his fare and went aboard with the crew to sail to Spain, where he would be away from the LORD. 9 “I am a Hebrew,” Jonah answered. “I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made land and sea.” 12 Jonah answered, “Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm.”

2:1 From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God:

2 “In my distress, O LORD, I called to you,

and you answered me.

From deep in the world of the dead

I cried for help, and you heard me.

3 You threw me down into the depths,

to the very bottom of the sea,

where the waters were all around me,

and all your mighty waves rolled over me.

4 I thought I had been banished from your presence

and would never see your holy Temple again.

5 The water came over me and choked me;

the sea covered me completely,

and seaweed wrapped around my head.

6 I went down to the very roots of the mountains,

into the land whose gates lock shut forever.[a]

But you, O LORD my God,

brought me back from the depths alive.

7 When I felt my life slipping away,

then, O LORD, I prayed to you,

and in your holy Temple you heard me.

8 Those who worship worthless idols

have abandoned their loyalty to you.

9 But I will sing praises to you;

I will offer you a sacrifice

and do what I have promised.

Salvation comes from the LORD!”

3:3 So Jonah obeyed the LORD and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to walk through it. 4 Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day, he proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!”

5 The people of Nineveh believed God's message. So they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented.

6 When the king of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes. 7 He sent out a proclamation to the people of Nineveh: “This is an order from the king and his officials: No one is to eat anything; all persons, cattle, and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink. 8 All persons and animals must wear sackcloth. Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must give up their wicked behavior and their evil actions. 9 Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he will stop being angry, and we will not die!”

10 God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behavior. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.

vi-Isaiah 56:7 “I will bring you to Zion, my sacred hill,[a] give you joy in my house of prayer, and accept the sacrifices you offer on my altar. My Temple will be called a house of prayer for the people of all nations.”

vii-Mark 4:35 On the evening of that same day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they left the crowd; the disciples got into the boat in which Jesus was already sitting, and they took him with them. Other boats were there too. 37 Suddenly a strong wind blew up, and the waves began to spill over into the boat, so that it was about to fill with water. 38 Jesus was in the back of the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The disciples woke him up and said, “Teacher, don't you care that we are about to die?”

39 Jesus stood up and commanded the wind, “Be quiet!” and he said to the waves, “Be still!” The wind died down, and there was a great calm. 40 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Why are you frightened? Do you still have no faith?”

41 But they were terribly afraid and began to say to one another, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Matthew 8:Jesus Calms a Storm

23 Jesus got into a boat, and his disciples went with him. 24 Suddenly a fierce storm hit the lake, and the boat was in danger of sinking. But Jesus was asleep. 25 The disciples went to him and woke him up. “Save us, Lord!” they said. “We are about to die!”

26 “Why are you so frightened?” Jesus answered. “What little faith you have!” Then he got up and ordered the winds and the waves to stop, and there was a great calm.

27 Everyone was amazed. “What kind of man is this?” they said. “Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Luke 8:22 One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they started out. 23 As they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep. Suddenly a strong wind blew down on the lake, and the boat began to fill with water, so that they were all in great danger. 24 The disciples went to Jesus and woke him up, saying, “Master, Master! We are about to die!”

Jesus got up and gave an order to the wind and to the stormy water; they quieted down, and there was a great calm. 25 Then he said to the disciples, “Where is your faith?”

But they were amazed and afraid, and said to one another, “Who is this man? He gives orders to the winds and waves, and they obey him!”

viii-Matthew 28:19 Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.”

Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying high in the air, with an eternal message of Good News to announce to the peoples of the earth, to every race, tribe, language, and nation.

ix-Jonah 1:17 At the LORD's command a large fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and three nights.

2:1 From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God:

2 “In my distress, O LORD, I called to you,

and you answered me.

From deep in the world of the dead

I cried for help, and you heard me.

3 You threw me down into the depths,

to the very bottom of the sea,

where the waters were all around me,

and all your mighty waves rolled over me.

4 I thought I had been banished from your presence

and would never see your holy Temple again.

5 The water came over me and choked me;

the sea covered me completely,

and seaweed wrapped around my head.

6 I went down to the very roots of the mountains,

into the land whose gates lock shut forever.[a]

But you, O LORD my God,

brought me back from the depths alive.

7 When I felt my life slipping away,

then, O LORD, I prayed to you,

and in your holy Temple you heard me.

8 Those who worship worthless idols

have abandoned their loyalty to you.

9 But I will sing praises to you;

I will offer you a sacrifice

and do what I have promised.

Salvation comes from the LORD!”

10 Then the LORD ordered the fish to spit Jonah up on the beach, and it did.

Matthew 12:39 “How evil and godless are the people of this day!” Jesus exclaimed. “You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of the prophet Jonah. 40 In the same way that Jonah spent three days and nights in the big fish, so will the Son of Man spend three days and nights in the depths of the earth. 41 On the Judgment Day the people of Nineveh will stand up and accuse you, because they turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach; and I tell you that there is something here greater than Jonah!

x-Luke 16:19 “There was once a rich man who dressed in the most expensive clothes and lived in great luxury every day. 20 There was also a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who used to be brought to the rich man's door, 21 hoping to eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the feast in heaven. The rich man died and was buried, 23 and in Hades,[a] where he was in great pain, he looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side. 24 So he called out, ‘Father Abraham! Take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and cool off my tongue, because I am in great pain in this fire!’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Remember, my son, that in your lifetime you were given all the good things, while Lazarus got all the bad things. But now he is enjoying himself here, while you are in pain. 26 Besides all that, there is a deep pit lying between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, nor can anyone cross over to us from where you are.’ 27 The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 where I have five brothers. Let him go and warn them so that they, at least, will not come to this place of pain.’ 29 Abraham said, ‘Your brothers have Moses and the prophets to warn them; your brothers should listen to what they say.’ 30 The rich man answered, ‘That is not enough, father Abraham! But if someone were to rise from death and go to them, then they would turn from their sins.’ 31 But Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.’”

xi-Jonah 3:1Once again the LORD spoke to Jonah. 2 He said, “Go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to the people the message I have given you.” 3 So Jonah obeyed the LORD and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to walk through it. 4 Jonah started through the city, and after walking a whole day, he proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!”

5 The people of Nineveh believed God's message. So they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented.

6 When the king of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes. 7 He sent out a proclamation to the people of Nineveh: “This is an order from the king and his officials: No one is to eat anything; all persons, cattle, and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink. 8 All persons and animals must wear sackcloth. Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must give up their wicked behavior and their evil actions. 9 Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he will stop being angry, and we will not die!”

10 God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behavior. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.

xii-Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying high in the air, with an eternal message of Good News to announce to the peoples of the earth, to every race, tribe, language, and nation. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Honor God and praise his greatness! For the time has come for him to judge all people. Worship him who made heaven, earth, sea, and the springs of water!”

8 A second angel followed the first one, saying, “She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She made all peoples drink her wine—the strong wine of her immoral lust!”

9 A third angel followed the first two, saying in a loud voice, “Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand 10 will themselves drink God's wine, the wine of his fury, which he has poured at full strength into the cup of his anger! All who do this will be tormented in fire and sulfur before the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up forever and ever. There is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, for anyone who has the mark of its name.”

12 This calls for endurance on the part of God's people, those who obey God's commandments and are faithful to Jesus.

xiii-Jonah 3:5 The people of Nineveh believed God's message. So they decided that everyone should fast, and all the people, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth to show that they had repented.

6 When the king of Nineveh heard about it, he got up from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat down in ashes. 7 He sent out a proclamation to the people of Nineveh: “This is an order from the king and his officials: No one is to eat anything; all persons, cattle, and sheep are forbidden to eat or drink. 8 All persons and animals must wear sackcloth. Everyone must pray earnestly to God and must give up their wicked behavior and their evil actions. 9 Perhaps God will change his mind; perhaps he will stop being angry, and we will not die!”

10 God saw what they did; he saw that they had given up their wicked behavior. So he changed his mind and did not punish them as he had said he would.

xiv-Deuteronomy 18:21 “You may wonder how you can tell when a prophet's message does not come from the LORD. 22 If a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and what he says does not come true, then it is not the LORD's message. That prophet has spoken on his own authority, and you are not to fear him.

xv-Deuteronomy 18:21 “You may wonder how you can tell when a prophet's message does not come from the LORD. 22 If a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and what he says does not come true, then it is not the LORD's message. That prophet has spoken on his own authority, and you are not to fear him.

xvi-Deuteronomy 13:13 “Prophets or interpreters of dreams may promise a miracle or a wonder, 2 in order to lead you to worship and serve gods that you have not worshiped before. Even if what they promise comes true, 3 do not pay any attention to them. The LORD your God is using them to test you, to see if you love the LORD with all your heart.

xvii-Romans 1:16 I have complete confidence in the gospel; it is God's power to save all who believe, first the Jews and also the Gentiles. 17 For the gospel reveals how God puts people right with himself: it is through faith from beginning to end. As the scripture says, “The person who is put right with God through faith shall live.”

xviii-Jonah 4:4 Jonah was very unhappy about this and became angry. 2 So he prayed, “LORD, didn't I say before I left home that this is just what you would do? That's why I did my best to run away to Spain! I knew that you are a loving and merciful God, always patient, always kind, and always ready to change your mind and not punish. 3 Now then, LORD, let me die. I am better off dead than alive.”

xix-Revelation 3:17 You say, ‘I am rich and well off; I have all I need.’ But you do not know how miserable and pitiful you are! You are poor, naked, and blind. 18 I advise you, then, to buy gold from me, pure gold, in order to be rich. Buy also white clothing to dress yourself and cover up your shameful nakedness. Buy also some ointment to put on your eyes, so that you may see.

xx-Jonah 4:11 How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!”

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