Focus on Fiction: Jonah and the Worm

Last updated on: October 30, 2010 at 10:34 am by Billy Kangas

Focus on Fiction: Jonah and the Worm 2010-10-30T10:34:00-04:00 Billy Kangas

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Jonah and the Worm (Nappanee, Indiana: Evangel Press,1983) has been called one of the greatest works of missiology ever written by some, and one of the finest examples of Christian fiction by others, and it happens to be a children’s book. It was written by Jill Briscoe, a speaker and author who is involved with “the Telling the Truth” radio programs.

In this book Briscoe seems to be trying to communicate that if you follow God you never know where exactly you are going, but God will make sure you get there.

The book develops in three basic parts.

The first part tells the story of a worm who lives three ponds away from the city of Ninevah who receives a message from “the wonder maker” that he has been prepared to do a work for the “wonder maker” (who is God). The worm is scared to go, but decides that’s it’s the right thing and leaves his family.
While all this is going on the second part happens. This is the story of Jonah in the Bible. Jonah, who is called “the worker”, runs away from his call and winds up getting eaten by a whale and spit up.
The third part of the book is after the two paths collide. Both the worm and Jonah arrive in Ninevah. Jonah proclaims the city must repent, and they do. The bug is told to go outside the city and eat the plant that gives Jonah shade. God shows up and explains why the worm had been sent

I personally enjoyed reading the book. I’m not sure I would go so far as to call it the “greatest work of missiology” I have ever come across, but it does offer a fun story through which the worms many encounters allow the author to teach dozens of valuable lessons about following God.

I had issue with one scene. There is a wicked King who rides his chariot through a crowd of people killing them with razor sharp knives on his wheels. The scene is described violently and I felt uncomfortable with it. It was not the kind of thing I would want my son to read. I felt it made a great children’s book into something that parents might want to censor. Why was this section even included? It seemed that the evil of Ninevah had already been clearly communicated by the girl poking a baby in the eye and children beating a dog to death. It was too much for a kids book.

Besides that I really liked the book. There was valuable wisdom even for an adult like myself. There is one point in which Jonah is able to thank god and says, “it’s better to be in the belly of a whale with [God] then safe on dry land without Him.” I too need to be reminded of this as I go through seminary. There are som many times when I become frustrated on how hard it is to stay here and support my family, God seems to continually remind me that it is not my comfort that matters nearly as much as my company.

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