يُونُس 2:2

Every Spring, we celebrate Christ’s coming forth from the grave after three days in a tomb. Many of us, however, struggle with a loss of a sense of wonder at the resurrection. In our coolness, Scripture offers us other third-day stories that parallel Christ’s resurrection, casting light on the significance of Easter and warming our affections to its realities.

Jonah’s story reminds us that God’s compassion extends to both the prideful prophet and the wicked unbeliever. Despite all of Jonah’s resistance and hard-heartedness, God’s merciful message of repentance was still delivered to the Ninevites. The Ninevites' repentance shows us nothing can thwart God's plans of redemption.

Losing a friend or romantic partner can be devastating, especially when they choose to walk away from the relationship or you make the difficult decision to set a boundary. Either way, we are experiencing significant loss and grieving what we thought could be forever. In scripture, we are reminded of how much God cares for us, and despite the disappointment, we will experience in this life, our heavenly father is always near to us.

Over the course of five days, read through the entire book of Jonah alongside theologically rich passages from the ESV Expository Commentary: Daniel—Malachi: Volume 7.