The God of Do-Overs – Sunday School Lesson: Jonah’s Second Chance
The story of Jonah is a memorable one that a lot of students are likely familiar with. However, it is more than just a fish tale. Jonah is ultimately a lesson about redemption and salvation. This lesson illustrates for students the importance of second chances. Jonah and the people of Nineveh were given second chances by God, and we are, too! It’s a blessing to know that He offers us another shot time and again when we sin, and that He is with us to help us when we stumble.
The wonderful thing about knowing we have second chances with God is that He provides for us. We don’t have to “just give it another shot” or somehow pull ourselves up to fix things. God helps us and gives us what we need to accomplish His work. Just as He saved Jonah, He saves us when we fail and helps us do the right thing. Just as He allowed the people of Nineveh to repent and did not destroy the city, He allows us to repent and gave His Son to save us!
Passage: Jonah 1:1-17;3:1-10
Target Audience: Kindergarten-6th grade
Materials Needed: Construction paper; decorative supplies; glue; markers or crayons; tape; scissors; paper plates; cups; string; Bibles.
Lesson Opening: This passage is a great one to do with children. It lends itself to fun interactive “fishy” elements, but has an important lesson about God’s love and forgiveness, too. To get students thinking and ready to learn, consider an activity opener along these lines:
- The wrong direction: Look at Tarshish and Nineveh on a map to see where Jonah went in comparison to where he was supposed to go. Then look at other countries that need to hear the gospel. If applicable, talk about missionaries that your church supports.
- Hide and Seek: Always a classic, especially for this passage. Have students play the original version of the game or a variation like “sardines” (one student hides and as others find him/her, they join in hiding).
- Try Again… Celebrate the second chances in this story. Give students a tough task to complete. If they have a hard time doing it, give them a second chance, and help them along if needed.
- Simon Says Opposites: Just like Jonah did the opposite of what God told him, have students play “Simon Says” with a twist– they should do the opposite of what Simon says. It requires extra thought! If Simon says turn right, for instance, kids should turn left. Instead of standing up, they can sit down, etc.
- Captain’s Coming: This is a fun nautical themed game requiring following directions. Divide the room or playing area into sections, and call off commands for students to obey. These should involve parts of a ship or tasks on one. For the purposes of this story, you might also include Jonah elements. The last student to complete the task will “walk the plank” and be out until the next round (adapt this if you have very few players or don’t want anyone “out”). The last player in is the next captain giving orders. Directions include boat terms (“bow” means run forward, “stern” calls to go to the back of the room; “starboard” and “port” are right and left); “scrub the deck” (get down on hands and knees and mime scrubbing), “storm’s coming” (get in a praying position on knees), and “captain’s coming” (stand at attention and salute the captain).
Explain that the lesson is about someone who tried to disobey and run away from God. But no one can hide from the Lord. He provided a second chance to Jonah in the story, and He gives all of us second chances when we make mistakes, too!
Bible Lesson: God Gives Jonah a Second Chance
This passage features some great dramatic elements, along with important lessons about obedience and grace. This story is a fun one to act out or read interactively. Have older students take turns reading, or read out loud for younger kids.
The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. -Jonah 1:1-3
Explain that Jonah was a prophet: someone called by God to tall others about Him. The Lord told Jonah to go to Nineveh and warn the people there that God’s wrath was coming. But Jonah was afraid. Nineveh was a place full of wicked people, and he didn’t know what they might try to do to him if he gave them God’s message. So instead of going up to Nineveh, he boarded a ship heading in the opposite direction. He went down south to Tarshish, trying to run away from God’s directions. That might seem to us like a silly idea, but sometimes we disobey or try to ignore what God says.
Ask: Have you ever disobeyed or tried to get out of something when your parents told you to do something? What happens when we disobey?
Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.” -Jonah 1:4-6
The other sailors on the ship did not know the one true God, but had other deities they worshiped. The storm that blew in came by God’s design, as a consequence for Jonah’s behavior. The sailors tried everything to save the ship, but it was looking bleak. Jonah again had been hiding, and they asked him to call upon God for help.
Tip: Make the story interactive by having students crawl onto an area or surface designated as the “boat”. Spritz water on them from a spray bottle to mimic the storm.
Ask: How would you feel right now if you were Jonah?
Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” 9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.) 11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” 12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” -Jonah 1:7-12
Jonah admitted that the storm was his fault, and that he was running away from the Lord. The sailors didn’t want to throw him overboard. They tried everything else they could do. But Jonah knew that God was unhappy with him and told the sailors they could be saved by tossing him into the sea.
It’s important to note here that, while it seems God is being harsh and heartless by punishing Jonah, this was part of His plan. He could have carried out His will without a storm and fish swallowing episode, of course. Why He chose such a creative method we cannot say. But it ultimately worked for good.
13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. 17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. -Jonah 1:13-17
Finally, the sailors tossed Jonah overboard, begging God for forgiveness and worrying that they would be responsible for his death. But Jonah, of course, did not die! God sent a large fish to swallow him. We often call it a whale, but here it just says “fish.” We aren’t quite sure what kind of fish that was. Also point out how long Jonah was in the fish: three days and nights. This is a very Biblical number, and of course what else took that long? (Jesus was in the tomb for three days!)
Tip: Have students crawl into a tight space to represent the fish. For added effect, have a can of tuna or sardines for fishy smell!
Ask: Have you ever felt guilty about something? How can you tell when you’ve done wrong?
Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. -Jonah 3:1-5
Here we have Jonah’s second chance! God caused the fish to spit him up onto dry land. If three days in the belly of a fish doesn’t grab attention, who knows what would…Jonah had time to think about what he had done and how he had run from God. He realized God rescued him, so when the Lord asked him again to go to Nineveh, you better believe he obeyed! Maybe he was still nervous. Maybe he thought the Ninevites wouldn’t listen to him, or didn’t deserve to be saved anyway. But they believed! Right away they listened to God’s words and repented. God had given Jonah a second chance, and he gave the people of Nineveh a second chance. He saw that they were truly sorry and allowed them to be saved.
6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:
“By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
-Jonah 3:6-10
God loves each and every individual. He cared about the people of Nineveh even though they had done wrong. He provided Jonah to carry His message to them. He also cared for Jonah, and didn’t let him drown, even though he had tried to run away. God is merciful and willing to let us try again when we make mistakes.
Ask: Have you ever made a mistake and gotten a second chance to fix it? How does that feel?
A lot of attention in the Jonah story falls on the fish swallowing, with good reason. But Jonah is not the hero here (neither is the fish!). This story is about repentance and redemption. It reminds us that God provides for us and helps us no matter what. No matter how many times we mess things up, He is ready and willing to help us and He lets us try again and again. His plans are good and He lets us be part of them!
Close with prayer, thanking God for second chances and asking for His help in all things.