True Reconciliation Involves Change Jonah 3:1-4:1

We love a good comeback story, don’t we? Whether it’s an underdog sports team, a restored relationship, or someone turning their life around, there’s something deep within us that cheers when people get another chance and actually do something with it.

But have you ever noticed how often we want the benefits of a second chance without the cost of real change? We want peace without repentance. We want blessing without obedience. We want reconciliation without transformation.

The truth is, true reconciliation always involves change. Not just saying "I’m sorry" or feeling bad, but actually doing something different.

Jonah’s story gives us two very different responses to God’s call. One is Jonah himself. The other is the city of Nineveh. One hears God's word and resists. The other hears the same word and is transformed. The question we need to ask ourselves is, which one are we more like?

Exhibit A: Jonah

After a wild and humbling time in the belly of a fish, Jonah gets a second chance. God comes to him again and tells him to go to Nineveh, their longtime enemy, and deliver a message. Jonah obeys this time, but something about it feels off.

Jonah was told to proclaim the message that God would give him. But what he ends up preaching seems more like his own message: “In forty days, Nineveh will be demolished.” Maybe that was what God told him to say. Maybe it wasn’t. The text isn’t clear. What is clear is that Jonah only preached for one day in a city that would have taken three to walk across. It seems Jonah gave a third of his effort to a third of the people with a message that might have come from himself.

In other words, Jonah did what God asked but only barely. His obedience was technical, not wholehearted. His heart was still closed off. He was still bitter. He didn’t want these people to change. He wanted them to burn.

This is where we need to pause and consider our own hearts. How many times do we do the same thing?

We say we are following Jesus, but really, we’re just doing enough to feel obedient. Like Jonah, we follow God's commands halfway. We use technicalities to dodge the uncomfortable parts of obedience. We are the church. We’re supposed to be the ones sold out for Jesus, and yet, if we’re honest, many times we are doing the bare minimum.

It reminds me of when my kids were little and used to drink an absurd amount of milk—almost four gallons a week. They were too small to pour it themselves, so they would ask me for a cup. As a joke, I’d sometimes just hand them the whole jug. Did I technically give them milk? Sure. But I knew I hadn’t really done what they asked.

That’s Jonah. And that’s often us.

Exhibit B: Nineveh

Now look at the people of Nineveh.

Despite Jonah’s half-hearted message, the people believe God. From the greatest to the least, they fast and put on sackcloth. The king hears the message, takes off his royal robe, sits in ashes, and leads the entire city in repentance. Even the animals are included in the fast. The king doesn’t even know if it will work, but he hopes.

And God sees.

He sees their repentance. He sees their humility. He sees their change. And He relents.

Nineveh models what true reconciliation looks like. It is not just saying the right words. It is not just hoping things will go back to normal. True reconciliation is marked by visible, costly change. It involves giving up pride, turning from sin, and seeking God with sincerity.

So What About Us?

If you’ve been reconciled to God, it should affect every area of your life. Reconciliation is not a private event. It’s not just between you and God. It changes how you live.

In your family, maybe you struggle with conflict or disconnection. Reconciliation means listening with humility. It means praying with and for each other. It means being the first to say, “I was wrong.”

At work, maybe the environment is toxic. Maybe gossip is rampant or people cut corners. Reconciliation means being a peacemaker. It means acting with integrity, encouraging others, and being a voice of calm and compassion. It means reflecting Christ not just in what you believe, but in how you behave.

Change is the evidence of reconciliation. Without it, we’re just handing God the gallon of milk instead of actually pouring the cup He asked for.

Are You Willing to Change?

Let’s circle back to Jonah.

Jonah did what God said, but not with a heart that wanted what God wanted. He obeyed, but reluctantly. When Nineveh repented, Jonah was angry. He didn’t want them to be saved. He wanted them to fail.

If that isn’t a mirror to the modern heart, I don’t know what is.

Sometimes we root against people. Sometimes we secretly enjoy watching others fall. We assume some people are too far gone. Too broken. Too evil. But the story of Jonah and Nineveh throws that thinking on its head.

God is not after your performance. He is after your heart. And when your heart changes, your actions follow.

True reconciliation involves change. It begins with surrendering pride, turning from sin, and trusting that God's mercy is worth everything. So what is God calling you to change today?

Don't settle for half-hearted obedience. Don’t walk one day through a three-day city. Don't just offer lip service to grace. Take the step. Make the change. Let God do in you what He did in Nineveh.

Because reconciliation is not just about being forgiven. It’s about being transformed.

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