Hidden Mercy
After Jesus was born, some pagan worshippers arrived in Jerusalem. We call them wise men, but King Herod and the religious leaders saw them as a threat to their authority. Through Herod, the chief priests tell the wise men the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem, but they don't walk the five miles themselves. In his mercy, God prompted pagans to travel across a desert so he could introduce them to Jesus.
The sailors want to save Jonah from death. Jonah risked their lives by hiring their ship so he could run away from God. Now they're risking their lives to spare his. They understand Jonah's God sent this storm, but they don't want to throw Jonah into the sea. Instead, they man the oars, expending all their remaining strength in a desperate attempt to get to safety. But it's futile. They're exhausted. The sailors are doing all the good they know how to do. They've done everything they can in their own strength. For a guilty man, they pray with language that echoes Deuteronomy: don't charge us with innocent blood. Still, God has cornered them, too, and so they yield to the only remaining option: throw Jonah overboard. If God wanted to destroy pagans for killing his prophet, now is the moment. But the sea stops, revealing God's mercy. In Acts 17:22-23 we see how Paul handles encountering religious outsiders: "Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, 'People of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.'" Jonah watches the sailors pray, but he says nothing and does nothing. At best, he doesn't resist as they throw him into the sea. Even though these sailors learned God's name from Jonah instead of Paul, they are still asking him for mercy. The sailors have now encountered God in two ways: through the coming and going of the storm. In between, an unrepentant prophet who was trying to quit the job God gave him reluctantly revealed God's name to them. The sailors have gone from fear of the storm to fearing a great fear to a great fear of the Lord. Even as God pursues Jonah, he includes the sailors in his mercy. While Jonah refused to do what God asks, they offer a sacrifice and make vows to God. The men prayed to every god they knew and the storm got worse. Now they are worshiping the true God, and Jonah is nowhere to be found.
Why does this story give the sailors the last word?
Do you feel uncomfortable or excited that Gentile sailors encounter God's mercy?
When did someone point you to God even though their life was a mess?
With a friend, share with each other the name of one person you think is too far from God to experience his mercy. Then, pray for both of them together.