“What is this that you have done?” the sailors asked Jonah. They knew that this terrible storm was because of Jonah, so they wanted to know what he had done wrong.

But God used this question of the sailors to make Jonah aware of his sins. The Lord wanted Jonah to think about what he had done wrong and repent of his sins. The Lord used the storm and the sailors to bring Jonah to his knees. Jonah needed to know his sins. 

When the sailors asked Jonah what they needed to do to calm the storm, Jonah told them to throw him into the sea and the storm would be calm. Jonah now realised his sins. He knew the storm was because of him. He deserved to be punished for his sins and so told the sailors to throw him into the sea.

The sailors then tried to save Jonah by rowing as hard as they could. Maybe they were trying to bring Jonah to Nineveh to obey God. But that didn’t work, so they obeyed God’s Word through his prophet Jonah and threw Jonah overboard into the sea. 

But before they threw Jonah overboard, they prayed to the Lord. They knew that this was the work of the Lord, and so they asked God not to punish them for throwing Jonah overboard and into the raging sea. 

The Lord immediately calmed the storm and so saved the sailors. The sailors then praised God by offering a sacrifice. The Lord had made them and Jonah aware of their sins.

We too need to know how great our sins are. We, too, so often disobey the Lord  And just like Jonah’s sins needed to be punished, so do our sins need to be punished. But Jonah couldn’t pay for his own sins and neither can we. There is only One who can pay for our sins, and that is Jesus Christ. And he has come, and he has paid for our sins.  Let us thank and praise God for his grace. 

Reflection with your child:

What is God teaching Jonah in this passage?

Source: Sermon by Rev. Stephen ’t Hart