The gospel is that Yahweh is, “a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and relenting from disaster.” (4:2) This gospel is good news not just for other people, it is for us. The gospel is not just for salvation but also sanctification. In Episode 1 Jonah fled from God’s mission, his motives for doing so are revealed after Nineveh turns (4:2). Being on mission always reveals our heart. Our hearts need to encounter Yahweh again.

The gospel is Gods ‘Spirit Empowered Working Word’ that saves even the most unlikely of people. Repentance is always and ultimately a work of God (2 Tim. 2:25).

You may be able to make the process more difficult but you cannot out run God’s plan for your life. God’s plan never changes. Jonah has tried to run from God’s purpose for his life but he is unable to outrun God. Episode 5 parallels Episode 1, “The Word of the Lord came to Jonah”. This is the second time and this time is the same as the first time. Nothing has changed. This is not a second chance. It’s the same plan.

No matter how far down we go – God’s grace is waiting for us. Jonah went down to Joppa (1:3a), down to the ship (1:3b), down to the bowl of the ship (1:5b), where he laid down (1:5b) and is swallowed by a fish and taken down to the depths of the sea. Yet it is at Jonah’s lowest point he finds God.

Everyone is given an identity from someone or something else. Whatever that someone or something is, is your God. Therefore your identity is grounded in who or what you worship.

God’s sovereign grace is attached to every storm in order to work his mercy into our hearts and bring us back to himself.

Running from God is always a downward trajectory and the enemy waits with the perfect ship to take you away.

Jesus is the promised Messiah. He is from the line of David, and here he enters Jerusalem as Israel’s true King. Here he would also die King of the Jews—this is something that he not been unaware of but had set his face towards. But he would also be raised and return as their King. The triumphal entry is Luke’s way of informing his readers that Jesus is the fulfillment of all Old Testament promises. This Jesus, in whom they believed, is truly the Son of God.