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Nineveh

February 25, 2026

Jonah 3:1-10| Luke 11:29-32| Psalm 51:11-18

I have always enjoyed writing, and these blogs have always given me a chance to formalize thoughts into a concrete statement. They push me into a review of my faith, the human social environment, and life in general. You know adulting, that repetitive motion that I have fought against all my life and tried to get my kids to delay by remaining at university longer…. But nooo they craved repetition, me on the other hand I have been fighting it ever since I was tricked into it. So why this preemptive statement? In full disclosure I read the bible from cover to cover a few times, and once without being forced to do so (Favorite book revelation – the action and imagery is awesome). Also when I saw the passages I was going to write about I could not contain my excitement. Now for the reason of the statement above. It immediately brought to mind Jonah a Vegitales movie and for some reason this is where my full understanding of Jonah came from. Prior to this my understanding was a reluctant prophet with a merciful message from God. This was all happening back in the days of when you didn’t behave you were destroyed, for reference see Sodom  and Gomorrah, or turned into a pillar of salt. (See Lot’s wife Edith. Am not quite sure if salt was an expensive commodity back then, but if it was that would have been a rare item to trade.) After watching the movie and rehashing the songs we talked as usual as to what the point, plot, and / or moral of the story was. One common theme we had was how much we disliked Jonah.

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.”

Years later and when this reading came to me once more, I realized that my feelings about Jonah had not changed. As I read more of the story and rewatched the movie his aura of a gatekeeper was still as strong as ever. I had wanted for my interpretation to be wrong especially when speaking of a prophet that could have a vote in placing me in the perpetual summer heatwave with high humidity destination resort. I had to verify my stance, so I spoke to my family. I didn’t have to talk to all as when speaking with my eldest, we came down to the same conclusion that he was the original racist. My other son had a comparison in music with the Drop Kick Murphy’s which led me astray into a music in movies conversation. This was my Jonah moment – hiding to avoid my given task in regard to this blog. After all accusing a man that God spoke to is hard. I suppose my view comes from a viewpoint that I am a Ninevite. I may not be slapping people with fishes (see the movie) or being evil in other ways but nonetheless I fall short of what God expects from me.  I can see God’s push in the afterthought of… I should have stood up, said something, intervened, given a damn but maybe it is too late now….but maybe not. 

I find it easy to explain why Jonah was the original racist as his actions tell all. He hid from God so as not to show God’s mercy to a people he felt were not worthy according to him. He would have Nineveh suffer the same fate as Sodom and not felt a thing. It is that gatekeeping that remains eternal in our present times, with the “us vs. them” thinking, that is at times only interrupted by the “as long as I get mine nothing else matters”. Finally, I know that this passage has nothing in regards to Jonah’s travel by whale arrangements, which may be allegorical but does give the story a distraction and a “but did you die?” angle.…But just imagine this, the God of your ancestors, the one you believe in and hope to serve faithfully having to call Uber whale service and forcefully highjacking you to a place so he can deliver a message of redemption and mercy. For me and you I hope that we have the strength and courage to do it right from the start, as there is currently an abundance of gatekeepers. 

Geo Borgia