Jonah’s Fast, also known as the Fast of Nineveh, is a three-day fast observed two weeks before the beginning of Great Lent. Rooted in the story of the prophet Jonah, this fast calls us to embrace repentance, prayer, and fasting, mirroring the Ninevites’ transformation through God’s mercy.
The Book of Jonah recounts the prophet’s mission to call the people of Nineveh to repentance. Initially disobedient, Jonah flees from God’s command, attempting to escape his divine calling. Cast into the sea and swallowed by a great fish, Jonah spends three days and nights in its belly, praying for mercy and repenting. Through God’s grace, he is delivered and obeys the divine directive to preach in Nineveh. In response, the Ninevites humble themselves, fast, and turn from their sinful ways, ultimately receiving God’s forgiveness.
There are quite a few valuable lessons to learn from Jonah’s fall & rise. Firstly, is our struggle with obedience as we see it in Jonah’s initial flight from God’s command. It highlights the internal conflict we often experience when asked to align our will with God’s. Fear and doubt drove Jonah’s resistance, much like how we sometimes resist God’s call in our lives. However, Jonah’s story demonstrates that God, in His patience and persistence, guides us back to His path, offering us opportunities for redemption.
Secondly, is our lack of comprehension that God’s Mercy is for all. This is evident in Jonah’s reluctance to preach to Nineveh stems from his struggle to accept God’s mercy for sinners. As enemies of Israel, the Ninevites were not considered worthy of compassion in Jonah’s eyes. His frustration is evident in his lament: “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster”(Jonah 4:2). Which reflects how we tend to look down, judge, and exclude those who live in sin. St. Anthony the Great echoes this sentiment, stating, “To say that God turns away from the sinful is like saying that the sun hides from the blind” (Sayings of the Church Fathers). This challenges us to reflect on our own attitudes—do we rejoice in the salvation of others, or do we, like Jonah, struggle with accepting God’s boundless mercy?
Thirdly, the response of Nineveh to Jonah’s message teaches us about the sincerity and immediacy required in repentance. The message was brief: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). However, the impact of this statement is evident in the entire city, from rulers to commoners, responded without hesitation to fast, mourning, and wear sackcloth to express their sorrow for their sins. St. John Chrysostom praises their humility: “They heard these things. It was not difficult for them to believe them. They did not despise these things; however, they all—men, women, slaves, masters, leaders, followers, children, the elderly—immediately took one road, the road of fasting” (On Fasting). Similarly, St. Basil affirms, “Repentance is salvation, but lack of understanding is the death of repentance.” This teaches us that genuine repentance and fasting can turn away even the most severe of God’s judgments, leading to forgiveness and restored communion with Him.
Moreover, Jonah’s three days in the belly of the fish foreshadow Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus Himself affirms this parallel: “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). St. Augustine further explains: “The resurrection of Christ Himself upon the third day would not be believed by us if the Christian faith was afraid to encounter ridicule. I would be surprised that it would be reckoned what was done with Jonah to be incredible” (Letters of St. Augustine). Just as Jonah was freed from the fish and brought the Ninevites to repentance, Christ’s resurrection brings salvation to all humanity. This connection underscores the profound depth of God’s redemptive plan.
In conclusion, Jonah’s Fast serves as a reminder of the transformative power of repentance, the boundless mercy of God, and the necessity of aligning our will with His. Jonah’s struggles and the Ninevites’ humility provide valuable lessons for our spiritual journey. As we embark on this fast, may we open our hearts to God’s grace, seeking freedom from sin through fasting, prayer, and sincere repentance, walking steadfastly on the path of salvation.
Resources:
- ESV bible
- Living the Orthodox Christian Life
- St. John Chrysostom “On Fasting”
- The Dawn Within
- New Advent