Out of Our Depth: What Jonah Teaches Travelers

Overseas Traveling

We just returned from a nice trip overseas. Now I am pondering what we learn from such travel.

It helps to go to a country where a different language is spoken. None of the schools where I was raised offered courses in Norwegian. It is helpful to the traveler when I find that nearly every person in the service industry speaks English. Yet, signs and menus can be a problem for the traveler. It is sometimes frustrating. The frustration, however, can become positive if we allow it.

Overseas Questions

Travelers ask themselves one question. “What am I supposed to do now?” Usually, this question comes to mind when we arrive at the airport. Where am I supposed to go? What line should I stand in? Do I show my passport or my declaration form? And of course, “Why did I think this was a good idea?”

The questions we are asked are usually standard. “Where are you going and what will you do while you are there?” We already know those answers. We want help deciding whether to use Uber or a taxi.

Out of Our Depth

Our trip included a cruise up the coastline of the country. I cannot help but consider Jonah. Let’s face it. For a prophet of God, Jonah was lacking good theology. Jonah tried going overseas to get away from the God of his people. He was foiled in this endeavor. Then he tried having his fellow travelers drown him. He realized he did not want to die.

God gives Jonah a ministry to foreign people. The Assyrians were a mortal threat to Israel. Yet, God wishes to be gracious to them. The people of Nineveh need a prophet to bring the word of warning to them. Jonah is God’s choice. No one else will take his place. Jonah must go.

Now it is time to be gracious to Jonah. He is out of his depth. Why would anyone in Nineveh listen to this Israelite? Who is going to believe the Israelite God can overcome the Assyrian gods? Israelites like Jonah were not sure about that, either. When it comes down to it, Jonah wants the Assyrians destroyed.

Vulnerability When Overseas

The truth is Jonah is as vulnerable as any foreign person in a new land. He has no shelter. If one wants to live in another country, the first question is not where do I find shelter? It is who do I trust to help me find shelter, food, and a way to meet my needs. A paying tourist with a little imagination should consider how difficult this would be.

I think about our refugee resettlement ministries that are struggling without federal help now. Refugees do not come demanding anything. They come asking for aid while trying to learn who they should trust. Building trust with traumatized people is difficult. It requires two attributes Jonah does not possess. It takes patience and empathy. Knowledge of how the immigration process for refugees is essential. The refugees do not know how this works. They must trust someone to tell them.

Helping and Overcoming

To help someone else, a person must know how to help. I think this is why the cabin crews of airlines tell passengers, in the event of a depressurization, put your own mask on before helping someone else. Overcoming difficulties means one must now help others overcome the same difficulties. The author of Jonah has this lesson in mind. Ultimately the story of Jonah is not about the prophet’s lack of compassion. It is about how we learn to be compassionate by struggling with our own troubles and developing the experience to share it with others.