Icebreaker
What was a movie or song you watched or heard as a child that took on a new meaning as an adult?
Background
Jonah is a fascinating piece of biblical literature that not only is simple enough to easily connect to children, but also deep enough for adults to wrestle with its themes. Jonah, a well-known prophet in Israel, is called to preach to Israel’s enemy–and he goes out of his way to keep from doing God’s will.
Download the PDF: Rulers and Prophets of the Divided Kingdom
Dig In
Read Jonah 1:1-3.
Where was Tarshish?
Why did Jonah choose to flee to this location?
Read Jonah 1:4-16
Why did God cause the storm?
Did this storm just affect Jonah or did it affect everyone onboard?
Do our sins just affect us or is there collateral damage? How have you seen this in your life?
What was the story-arc of the sailors? Where were they spiritually and where did they end up?
Read Jonah 4
Is this the attitude and behavior you would expect from a prophet?
How did Jonah describe God’s character?
Why was Jonah so eager to accept God’s mercy for himself, but so unwilling to offer it the Ninevites?
What do you think of the lesson God taught Jonah? What was his final point?
Discussion
What stuck out to you most from Jonah? Why?
Is there a group of people you think would be a modern parallel to the Ninevites? Why?
Stephen said: “If you want to run from God, the devil will always offer you a ride.” and “If you run from God, you only go down, down, down.” How have you seen these things as true?
Has God ever given you a second chance? How so?
Stephen mentioned a common mischaracterization of God: “The God of the Old Testament is angry and wrathful, but the God of the New Testament is loving and forgiving.” Why is this wrong? Can you think of love and mercy in the Old Testament or anger and wrath in the New Testament?
Stephen called this type of criticism as “casual”–what did he mean? How can we protect ourselves from people who try to shipwreck our faith with uninformed claims?
What would it look like if we lived as if God were the main character of our lives?
What was the sign of Jonah that Jesus mentioned? Why did Jesus give this to the Pharisees?
Questions for Personal Reflection
These questions are intended to be read aloud to the group, but not necessarily for group discussion.
- Am I running to God’s calling on my life or away from it?
- Am I willing to love truly people like God does?
- What’s my next step in knowing God’s Word in a deeper way?
- Am I living like God is the main character of my life?