Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Christian Crier

Home
About

Home
Evangelical
A Sunday School Lesson On Jonah And The Whale

A Sunday School Lesson On Jonah And The Whale

Last updated on: January 29, 2016 at 2:28 pm by Jack Wellman

A Sunday School Lesson On Jonah And The Whale 2016-01-29T14:28:00-06:00 Jack Wellman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Here is a Sunday school lesson or Bible study about Jonah and the whale.

Jonah’s Call

Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. 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, away from the presence of the Lord.”

I can recall several men I know who were called into the ministry at an early age only to run away from that call much like Jonah ran from his calling by God but the fact is, there is nowhere to run and no place to hide for as the psalmist wrote, “If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:8-10). In other words Jonah, forget about it. You’re not getting away from an effectual call by God.

Do you feel called into some ministry?

How do you know for sure?

Why did Jonah try to run away from God?

Jonah’s Flight

Jonah 1:7 “And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.”

When Jonah walked away from God’s calling, He could not walk away from God because as Jonah was on the ship, “the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up” (Jonah 1:4) and then “the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep” (Jonah 1:5) so when all the other so-called gods couldn’t help, they decided by lot that it was Jonah and “So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging” (Jonah 1:15).

Who sent the storm Jonah’s way?

Why was Jonah asleep in the ship?

Why did the sea cease from its raging when Jonah was tossed overboard?

Jonah’s Plight

Jonah 1:17 “And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”

Apparently, God sent the storm and now God sends a great fish. There is no evidence that this was a whale for a different Hebrew word is used for that and the word for “fish” is from the Hebrew word “dagah” and simply means fish. It was a “great” fish or in the Hebrew (“gadowl”) “large in magnitude and extent” so this was a very large fish, capable of swallowing a man whole and some of which are known to exist in the oceans of the world. Was it one of the large sea reptiles called the leviathan which is referred to in the Book of Psalms and Job? What we know for sure is that “Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish. And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land” (Jonah 2:1, 10).

What does it mean God “appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah?”

Did Jonah believe he was going to die (John 2:5-7)?

What must that environment been like?

Jonah’s Witness

Jonah 3:3-4 “So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

This was no small city and it was more than just a city. It was a city-state and these were the Assyrians who were archenemies of Israel, so maybe you can understand Jonah’s reluctance to help Nineveh be saved from God’s judgment but that’s what happened. The King of Nineveh declared a fast and the whole city repented and God withheld His judgment upon them but this angered Jonah. When God caused a plant to grow over and shade Jonah from the scorching sun, Jonah was pleased but then became anger after the plant died, so “the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle” (Jonah 4:10-11)?

Would this be like Christians trying to witness to ISIS?

Would that make you reluctant to be God’s witness?

Can you sympathize with how Jonah felt?

Conclusion

I urge you in your study to look at all of the Bible verses and read them aloud in the class so that you can get the most out of this lesson on Jonah and the Great Fish. Jesus referred to Jonah as an actual, historical account when “some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you” (Matt 12:38) “But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matt 12:39) and that sign was “just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt 12:40). Jesus went even further in telling the scribes and Pharisees that “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here” (Matt 12:41) and He Who is “greater than Jonah is” Jesus Christ so just “as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” (Luke 11:30).

Why did the scribes and Pharisees seek a sign from Jesus?

Why is it evil to seek a sign from God?

What has changed in your understanding of Jonah and the Great Fish after this study?

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

Previous Post

January 29, 2016

A Sunday School Lesson On Discipleship

Next Post

January 29, 2016 A Sunday School Lesson On Jacob And Esau

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Answers Bible Definitions Bible Story Bible Study Bible Verses Christian Books Christian Entertainment Christian Fathers Christian Mothers Christian Quotes Devotional Famous Christians Music News Parables Prayers Quotes Sunday School Lesson Uncategorized Youth Sermons

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the primary musical instrument in the Temple?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Drums Trumpet Harp Lyre