May 9, 2021: And Now for the 6th Act! – Michael Hidalgo

The prophets are bizarre books, and among them the most bizarre is the book of Jonah. Is this historic or a parable? Is it based on an actual person named Jonah or is Jonah a name that refers to one who is “senseless” (see the Hebrew word meaning: “dove”)? Even more, is this a prophet? We seem comfortable saying he is, the book is even counted among the prophetic books of the Hebrew Scriptures, but the book itself does not call Jonah a prophet. So, what do we do with this odd, seemingly out-of-place book that tells a story that is wildly popular? 

Regardless of what we believe about the story, one thing the reader observes is Jonah is a story about his failure. He fails in his response to God’s call, he fails in his attempted escape and he fails in the message he delivers to Nineveh (at least he thought so). He believed his message would bring about the doom he prophesied. Instead, it stirred God’s compassion. And this was Jonah’s greatest failure. He failed to appreciate the compassion of God.