Upon rescuing Jonah, God repeats the command to to to Nineveh, "Tell them what I told you to tell them." This time Jonah obeys. They believe him and repent.
How comfortable--or uncomfortable--are you with the idea that these people in Nineveh, who didn't know anything about God, responded immediately and positively when Jonah, who did know about God, had also responded immediately, but, in his case, negatively?
Who can recognize God? In Chapter 1, sailors; in this chapter, the king and citizens of Nineveh. What they have in common is despair and fear. Is it harder to recognize God (or to feel a need to) when our lives are running smooth?
The lectionary omits verses 6-9. Read them anyway. They repent because they believe that it will change God's mind. Remember they hadn't had the opportunity to study Jeremiah 18:1-11. How comfortable--or uncomfortable--are you with the idea that God's mind can be changed, that human response can affect God?
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