Jonah is identified as a prophet and servant of God during the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel (2 Kings 14:24-25)—between 792 and 753 B.C. View the Basilica’s hours of operation, parking and accessibility information. One might expect Jonah to be happy that Nineveh turned from its wickedness, but he was angry when he learned that God was not going to destroy Nineveh. Jonah now became … T he book of Jonah is an Old Testament story which tells about how the prophet Jonah refused to follow the Lord. Aren’t you glad God always gives us a second chance too? But Jonah did want the people of Nineveh to die, and he didn’t want to preach to them. Lesson: King Ahaz's brings great suffering to Judah, Good Samaritan Bible (Luke 10:25-37) Lesson for Lent, Lesson: Strong and Humble (The Book of James – Part 4), Children’s Sermon: Independence Day and Jesus’ Revolution against Sin, Back to School (Sunday School Lesson) Armor of God, “Back to School ” Children’s Sermon (Jesus, the Sin Eraser), “Back to School” Object Lessons (School Supplies Backpack). You can also give an instruction that doesn’t match your motion to catch kids off guard. Review the events of historic significance that have taken place at the Basilica. So, let’s start from the beginning. Jonah only wanted God’s mercy for Israel, not its enemies. Key Points: God calls people to repent. Tell them that they better start believing in Me and doing the right things I want them to do or else I’m going to send fire down from Heaven to destroy their city and burn them up.”. Jonah was very happy with the plant. The book of Jonah is full of God’s grace and mercy and it is a story we need. Through Jonah’s journey with God, we can discover a bigger story- the story of God’s love and mercy for the whole world! Jonah’s story is about someone being rescued by God. By this time Jonah had learned that some men who worshipped idols were kind in their hearts, and were dear to the Lord. Most of these book were written to the people of Israel and Judah, but Jonah, Obadiah, and Nahum are more concerned with surrounding nations. (No. Jonah was happy—indeed, he was ecstatic—about the vine plant. Josiah was a faithful king who followed God's word no matter what. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. You know the story! Jonah was a prophet, basically, a guy that spoke on God’s behalf to others. And that’s the story of Jonah. Copyright © 2007-2020 Ministry-to-Children. Do you think the people of Nineveh will listen to Jonah and start believing in God? God always wants to forgive people instead of punishing them, and if people will believe in God and start doing the right things that He wants them to do, then God will forgive them. 1 The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Psalm 145:8 says: The Lord is gracious and merciful, The people believed Jonah, turned from their wickedness, and God had mercy on them. It is HIS divine will that young people come to faith in Jesus Christ and find salvation through the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit to bring them to faith. The fish then spat him onto the land, and Jonah traveled to Nineveh as God had commanded. Like a puzzle where every piece is unique and important to create a wonderful picture, we each have a part to play in God’s story which He wants us … But it is a story of God’s mercy, and God’s ability to use anyone for his glory. In reality, we are both Jonah and Nineveh. For three days, Jonah was trapped in the belly of the fish, where he prayed to the Lord. Students try to launch their action figure (Jonah) into the trashcan (fish’s mouth) using only their blanket (waves of the sea). Anyone who does something without the teacher having said, “Teacher says” has to pretend that they’ve been swallowed by a fish and taken to Nineveh at the other side of the room. The Story Of Jonah. 1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish ().He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. God has objectives we may not like. ), God said, “Jonah, you should not be mad. Instead of allowing Jonah to drown, the Lord in his mercy caused a giant fish to swallow him. Do you think it was nice for Jonah to want the people of Nineveh to die? Imagine what would have happened if Jonah would have just listened to God from the very beginning. Before we can answer that we need to back up and look at the story. A Hebrew prophet living during the reign of Jeroboam II, Jonah was visited by the Lord, who asked him to go to Nineveh to warn them of God’s impending judgement upon them. Take a tour to learn more about the Basilica’s history, architecture, sacred art, and more. We are not to view ourselves as better than those who are different from us – instead, we are to see others as God sees them: sinners in need of a Savior, just like us. Through some supernatural events, God convinced him to obey and carry out the Lord’s plan. Everyone, show me with your arms how the waves went up and down. 400 Michigan Avenue, Northeast Washington, D.C. 20017. Once again, instead of giving Jonah what he deserves, God instead gives him an object lesson about his grace, mercy, and sovereignty. Jonah reacted in anger because he wanted revenge; he wanted the Nineveh to be destroyed. And should I not be concerned over the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot know their right hand from their left, not to mention all the animals? To what people or groups are you sometimes tempted to see yourself as superior: other races or nationalities, … One day, God told the prophet Jonah, “Jonah, go preach to the people of Nineveh. God always wants to forgive people instead of punishing them, and if people will believe in God and start doing the right things that He wants them to do, then God will forgive them. The Prophet Jonah seems almost comical in his relationship with God, except for one thing: The souls of over 100,000 people were at stake. Jonah Runs from the Lord. Jonah preached to Nineveh and warned them to repent before the city is destroyed in 40 days. Jonah wanted God to send fire down from Heaven to destroy their city and burn them up. Place a large trashcan, bucket, or box, at the end of the room. God commanded Jonah to go to Ninevah and preach to them about their sinfulness and call them to repentance. We can learn from Jonah’s mistakes. He didn’t them want to believe in God and start doing the right things God wanted them to do because the people of Nineveh were Israel’s enemies. Then, God said, “Jonah, go preach to the people of Nineveh. Instead of allowing God to be the judge, I’ve put myself in that position, handing out mercy and dishing out guilty sentences in my mind and heart without regard to what God might think. Read Jonah 1-4 with your students or read the following story as a summary. But it is a story of God’s mercy, and God’s ability to use anyone for his glory. Discover the rich history of America’s Catholic Church — A Century in the Making. The best part is that the people of Nineveh listened to him and changed their lives! Then, God saved him by sending a fish to swallow him. So, he got on a boat and went far away from Nineveh instead of going to Nineveh as God told him to. The last student in the game becomes the new leader. It tells of a Hebrew prophet named Jonah son of Amittai who is sent by God to prophesy the destruction of Nineveh but tries to escape the divine mission. Jonah, had he not been eaten by the fish, would no doubt have drowned. As Jesus says in Matthew 12:40: Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. What would seem to outside observers to be only another hardship for Jonah to endure was, in fact, God’s provision to save the life of His prophet. The Bible tells us that when Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh, they all believed in God and started doing the right things. The Lord saved him from drowning, he protected him as he preached to those in Nineveh, and he grew a plant for him so he wouldn’t die of heatstroke. God, we thank You for being a good God and caring about all people. They prayed to God and asked Him not to destroy them. It merely begins with an … Tell them that they better start believing in Me and doing the right things I want them to do or else I’m going to send fire down from Heaven to destroy their city and burn them up.”. Through Jonah’s journey with God, we can discover a bigger story- the story of God’s love and mercy for the whole world! Jonah told the other sailors, “If you want the storm to stop, you have to throw me overboard into the sea.”. The Book of Jonah is a book of the Nevi'im ("Prophets") in the Hebrew Bible. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” 3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord.He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. During the time of the Old Testament, the Bible didn’t exist like it does today. They thought they were going to drown. Basilica Insider: The Art of Mary Stratton in America’s Catholic Church, Celebrating the Anniversary of the Incarnation Dome. The sailors didn’t want to throw Jonah overboard because they thought he would drown, so they kept trying to row back to land. When he confessed that he was running from the Lord, they tossed him overboard. And everyone on the boat was so afraid. This post is the second installment in the Basilica’s Biblical Figures series, which highlights the stories of the individuals throughout the Scriptures who are portrayed in “America’s Catholic Church.” While some of them inspire us with their unwavering faithfulness, others serve as sober reminders of the consequences of sin. Jonah tried to run away from God, learned a terrifying lesson, did his duty, then still had the nerve to complain to the Creator of the Universe. Nineveh was part of Assyria, a violent pagan nation, known for torturing its enemies. During his nap, a big storm arises. The LORD God made a plant grow up beside Jonah to give him shade and make him more comfortable. Please use our childrens ministry curriculum and Sunday School material for any purpose that brings honor to Jesus. The Lord sent a plant to bring him shade, but then killed it the next day. As Christians, God has shown us incredible grace and mercy in the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus. 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