Ken Dobson's Queer Ruminations from Thailand
Search this site
  • Life in Thailand
  • Queer Issues in Thailand
  • Queer Christian Issues
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Stories

Jonah

10/12/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
Once upon a time there was a prophet named Jonah.  God said to him, “Do your duty.  Go to Nineveh and prophesy.”  But Jonah hated those people, so he got on a boat going the opposite direction as far as it would go.
 
Not so long ago a preacher was told, “Go to the Capitol and tell them what Jesus said.” But the preacher thought those old boys were doing great.  So he went on TV to tell the world how God loved what was going on.
Picture
​Out in the middle of the sea a great storm blew up.  It grew stronger and stronger, threatening to tear the boat apart.  The ungodly sailors, however, caught on that this storm was telling them something.
 
Tumult began to ravage the land, as historic hurricanes beat upon its cities, and illness went untreated because of huge costs.  People everywhere began to worry something had to be done quickly.
Picture
​Jonah confessed, “Throw me into the sea and you’ll be spared.”  The godless sailors hesitated to be so cruel just to save themselves but finally they yielded.  The last they saw of the prophet, he was being swallowed by a huge fish.
 
In the back of the preacher’s mind was concern that those old boys in Distant Capitol were trashing all the values the preacher and his crowd had stood for, but they hated the same things and feared all those people of different colors.  The preacher said, “What’s a little wind and rain when we’ve got such fine old men making things great again.”  But some were watching in amazement, “OMG!  The preacher’s been swallowed whole!”
Picture
Down in the deadly deeps, Jonah was wrapped in seaweeds as he succumbed to despair that led to confession.  Even in the deadly deeps God was paying attention to Jonah, and God ordered the fish to puke the prophet out back onto the beach where he had started.
 
 The preacher grappled desperately trying to figure out how to be both true to Jesus and loyal to the good old boys thumping each other on the back as they piled up their profitable deals. At last the preacher found himself right back where he’d started
Picture
Jonah made it to the huge city of Nineveh, home of the horrible people Jonah hated most.  He vowed to do the absolute minimum.  Getting himself barely inside the vast city he announced, “You’re done for, three days from now.”  Then he turned around and left.
 
“Well, these days of high-tech, one doesn’t have to really GO to Distant Capitol to have one’s voice heard there,” the preacher decided.  So he went on TV again, waved his hands comfortingly and crooned, “Remember Jesus.”  Well, that wasn’t so hard
Picture
​Word spread throughout Nineveh.  Panic resulted.  The king himself tore his royal robes, put on a burlap shirt and wailed repentance sitting in ashes.  The whole city fasted and prayed.  Nineveh turned to God.  God spared them.
 
The tousle-headed Good Old Guy was congratulated by his wattle-chinned prime mover.  PM declared, “It’s a wrap.  We got’em now.”  The city was in their hands court, capitol, commerce, and all.
Picture
Jonah was livid.  “I knew you’d do that!” he railed at God.  Poor Jonah wanted to see Nineveh in flames, but all that happened was his own shelter was eaten by worms so it was he who suffered from the heat.  He heard that dreaded voice again, “Jonah, Jonah!  You’re pissed off at me for saving these millions?  Get a grip.  Think!”
 
Outside the city, millions were no longer listening to the preacher.  They hadn’t heard him say a word from Jesus for so long that they no longer expected to hear any.  They had heard from Jesus directly, however, and they were on the move.
1 Comment
Bruce P. Grether link
10/12/2018 09:50:52 pm

Love this version of Jonah's tale, Ken! Your illustrations are great! A quote for Jonah begins the novel I'm currently working on, CLOUDHWALE. "The captain found him there and said to him,
“What are you doing asleep? Get up and pray to your god
for help. Maybe he will feel sorry for us
and spare our lives.”
— Jonah, 1.6

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Rev. Dr. Kenneth Dobson posts his weekly reflections on this blog. 

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    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
    April 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
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Copyright © 2023 Rev. Dr. Kenneth Dobson