I am a couple of weeks behind, something I apologize for to those who are reading this. To go back to last week, we had a good lesson on a story we all know quite well, the story of Jonah.
Our text was the entire Book of Jonah, so I will not take your time up posting it here, if you want you can get a Bible and read it before going on.
After reading Jonah 1:1-15;
Why do you think Jonah went the other way?
He wanted to flee from the evils of the people of Nineveh.
What do you think was going through the minds of the crew when the storm arose?
They most likely thought they were going to die.
What do you think was going through the mind of Jonah when he asked to be thrown overboard?
He was most likely afraid of how God would punish him for his sin of disobedience.
The second section focused on Jonah 1:17-2:10;
What do you think it felt like in the belly of a whale?
Slimy, squishy, and gross.
What do you think it smelled like?
Nasty dead fish.
What images came to mind when you heard the prayer of Jonah?
Someone who was at the very end of their rope, absolutely desperate for God's help and salvation who truly repents their sins.
From chapter 3 we asked;
What did Jonah say to the people?
Nineveh will be overthrown and the people punished for their evil ways.
How did they respond to Jonah's preaching?
They repented and changed their ways.
In chapter 4 God has spared the people and Jonah is angry with Him for His merciful nature.
Why was Jonah angry?
He wanted the people of Nineveh to be punished for their evil ways and when God showed them mercy Jonah felt betrayed.
Where do you see God's compassion in these verses?
God shows that He will have mercy and compassion on those who truly repent their evil ways and ask for God to forgive their sins.
We agreed for the most part that the best part of the story was the fish vomiting Jonah out onto the beach, and that the character we liked most was Jonah. We could relate to not wanting to do something difficult and dangerous and that when God asks us to do these things we would be afraid.
The following were a set of statements that we had to decide if they were fair or unfair.
Is it fair if you are going 7 miles over the speed limit and you get pulled over and get a ticket for speeding?
No it isn't fair, it is only 7 mph to fast.
Is it fair when you don't study and get a bad grade?
Yes, you had a choice and made a bad decision.
Is it fair when you arrive late to a concert and can't find a place to sit?
Yes, by being late you let others have the choice of seating.
It may or may not seem fair, in these situations, to get what we deserve. It is hard to argue the speeding ticket if you were speeding, or getting a bad grade if you got the answers wrong. Seating is a timing issue.
Can you name a situation when you didn't get what you deserved?
In class Ryan didn't get stabbed with a pencil for throwing them at Robin while she was reading.
We ended our lesson reading Mathew 18:21-35, the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.
It would take generations for the man and his family to pay his debt, He owed millions and would never be able to pay it off by himself. When he asked for time to pay back the debt, the king was generous and cancelled the debt.
The second man owed 100 day's wages, yet when he asked for time, he was thrown in prison.
Is this fair?
No
What is not fair about it?
The man should have been given time to pay off the reasonable debt instead of being thrown in prison.
What is the right way to handle this story?
To show mercy and give the man time to pay off his debt instead of putting him in prison.
We get what we deserve in most areas of our life. However when it comes to God, we don't get what we deserve. We deserve death, yet God provides us life through His son Jesus Christ. That is called Grace.
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