3 The Voyage Series

The Church Called Jonah

# 3 – The Voyage

Jonah 1:3b - “He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”

He went down to Joppa

We’ve seen how Jonah made up his mind to ‘flee from the presence of the Lord,’ It isn’t long before a rebellious attitude is followed by a rebellious act, and that’s what Jonah did. He was told to go to Nineveh (which was in the east), but he decided to go west to Tarshish instead. He headed Joppa, which was his connecting point, from where he would then board a ship to Tarshish. In all my years of travels (with my mother and brothers before marriage), when we traveled across India for no particular reason, I remember the many connecting points we touched to get to where we were going.

We know from 2 Kings 14:25 that Jonah hailed from Gath Hepher, which is present day Mashhad, which is at an altitude of 985 metres (3250 feet). We don't know where Jonah was when the Lord spoke with him, but if he was in his home town of Gath Hepher, then when it says that ‘He went down to Joppa,’ it literally meant that he traveled ‘down’ to Joppa. Isn’t it amazing the extent one would go to not do something as opposed to doing something? It’s amazing that though it takes a lot less effort to obey God, than it does to disobey Him, so often we find ourselves expending our efforts on the former rather than the latter. To be a voice for the Lord is a lot less difficult than it is to run away from that call.

Joppa was his connecting point to Tarshish. What are the connecting points for us The Church of today? Are the connecting points in our lives the people and places that help us fulfil God's call on our lives? Or are our connecting points cities, people, our jobs our positions etc. that serve as stepping stones to get us as far away from the Lord’s will for our lives as possible?

And found a ship going to Tarshish

Jonah wanted to go to Tarshish one of the farthest possible places west at the time (as the Americas had not yet been discovered). Tarshish, would have been near present day Gibraltar in Spain. So Jonah was planning a trip from the east end of the Mediterranean Sea to the west of it. When Tarshish was Jonah’s goal, all he needed was the transportation to get him there and find it he did. The quickest way to get to Tarshish would have been by ship as there weren’t planes back then. One can imagine the joy of finding a ship headed to your choice destination, even though you may be running away from God's plan for your life. It might even seem like a divine provision.

Have we found the 'vehicle' that would help us accomplish the Lord’s call on our lives or are we searching for one to get as far away from it as possible?

So he paid the fare

Jonah had made up his mind about his mission and his destination; he had found the mode of transport to get him there and there was nothing that would stand in his way of achieving his goal. He was willing to pay whatever it was to get him there. He purchased his ticket and was now on his way.

Isn’t it amazing how often, when we The Church of today are on a mission to take the gospel to our neighbour, be it a person, city or country, that we look for the smallest possible obstacle to not do it, explaining it away as not being the Lord’s will or timing or both? On the other hand, when we pursue self-centred goals, how willing we are to pay whatever the price to ensure we have a seat on the 'vehicle' to get where we want? At such times, nothing stands in our way, and God’s will and timing seem to be 'just right.'

Are we doing all we can to let the Lord use us to fulfil His purpose for creating, calling and choosing us - namely reach and disciple the world, or are we paying our way away to move as far away from it as possible?

And went down into it

Jonah didn’t just board the ship, but he actually seemed to have picked his spot on the ship – 'down into it.' We’ll see why he chose that spot in another devotion. Jonah was smart in that he knew which was the most stable part of the ship and he chose that part of the ship.