Jonah: The Ultimate Passive Man

Jonah 1:11-12

11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”

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I only noticed this this past Sunday morning:

When Jonah offers to be thrown into the sea, he is not making a heroic gesture of sacrifice; that is, he is not selflessly sacrificing himself in order to spare the lives of the innocent sailors.

You know how I know that?

Because if Jonah were that concerned about the well-being of the sailors, he would hurl himself over the gunwale of the ship.

What does he do instead?

He tells the sailors to throw him overboard.

Even in extreme distress, Jonah refuses to take responsibility for anything.

Don’t be like Jonah today.