It’s Not a Fish Story—It’s a Heart Story

Jonah 1:1–4

For many of us, the story of Jonah lives in the mental filing cabinet labeled “Sunday School Favorites.” We picture a runaway prophet, a giant fish, and maybe even a smiling cartoon whale. But when we reread Jonah with adult eyes and a tender heart, we realize it’s not really a story about obedience or disobedience.

It’s about something far more personal and far more uncomfortable.

It’s about how much we resist the idea that God might love the people we can’t stand. It’s about how far God’s grace reaches, even when we’d rather it didn’t. Jonah isn’t a fish story. It’s a heart story. God’s heart for reconciliation, and our heart’s resistance to it.

God Wants Reconciliation

God Wants Reconciliation Between Us and Our Enemies (vv. 1–2)

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before me.’”

Jonah hears directly from God. But interestingly, he doesn’t say a word back. No argument. No questions. Just... silence.

And then, he runs.

But let’s sit with this call for a moment. God isn’t just telling Jonah to go to a city full of wicked people. He’s sending him to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. At this point in history, Assyria had already conquered Jonah’s people. Nineveh wasn’t just a “bad city.” It was the enemy.

Jonah isn’t being asked to preach some random street corner revival. He’s being asked to walk into the heart of enemy territory and deliver a message of mercy and hope.

God’s not just telling the church today to confront evil with the gospel. He’s telling us to love our enemies with it. That his mercy can reconcile even the most bitter enemies. That his grace is bigger than our grudges. 

Jesus did something very similar when he walked straight into Samaria—on purpose. Most Jews went out of their way to avoid it. But Jesus didn’t avoid the enemy; he engaged them. He talked with them. He loved them.

Jonah’s “enemy” was outside his community. But for many of us, the hardest people to reconcile with are inside the church. There’s no pain quite like church hurt, is there?

If God’s mercy is big enough to reconcile Nineveh, it’s big enough to reconcile people within our own churches and even our own pews. Maybe it’s time we stop obsessing over our differences and start looking for common ground, where grace can actually take root.

2. God Wants Reconciliation With You (vv. 3–4)

“Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it… But the Lord threw a great wind onto the sea…”

God gives Jonah a very direct command. But Jonah takes a very direct detour. He runs in the exact opposite direction to a place called Tarshish.

We don’t know exactly where Tarshish was, and maybe that’s the point. It could represent “anywhere but where God is calling me.” What we do know is that it wasn’t Nineveh. And Jonah wasn’t just avoiding a mission, he was avoiding God.

You’ll notice the word “down” appears multiple times in this chapter. He went down to Joppa. He went down into the ship. It’s not just geography, it’s spiritual descent. Jonah is trying to get as far away from God’s presence as he can.

Sound familiar?

We all have Tarshishes. Places we run to when we don’t want to obey. And when we do, instead of having honest conversations with God about our fear or reluctance, we often just avoid Him altogether.

But here’s the beauty: even when Jonah runs, God doesn’t give up.

God hurls a storm, not to destroy Jonah, but to draw him back. This storm wasn’t about punishment. It was about pursuit. It was God saying, “I’m still here. And I still want you.”

God doesn't abandon Jonah’s call. He doesn’t abandon Jonah. And he won’t abandon you.

God isn’t looking to strike fear in your heart. He’s looking to win your heart. Sometimes that means storms. Sometimes that means being shaken awake. But the goal is always reconciliation.

Jesus illustrated this in the parable of the prodigal son. The father didn’t sit on his porch waiting with folded arms. He ran to meet his son. And that’s exactly what God does for us.

Whether it’s your first time coming home to him, or your hundredth, the invitation is the same:

Come back. God wants you. Still.

Whether you need to reconcile with a friend, an enemy, or with God himself, the same truth applies:

God wants reconciliation. And he’s already made the first move.

This blog post is based on a sermon preached by Wes McGarry to Gospel Community Church.