Teaching

Were you amazed by the patience and mercy that God showed to Jonah and the wicked city of Nineveh?

God truly does show mercy to all people. Was Jonah happy and eager to follow God’s instructions? No!

What did He do? He went the opposite way!

When God told Jonah to go to Ninevah, Jonah headed in the opposite direction! Jonah tried to run from God, but he quickly found out that you can’t do that. God is everywhere, and nothing escapes His eyes.

Optional: Read Jeremiah 23:23–24:

“Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord. “No, I am far away at the same time. Can anyone hide from Me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the Lord.

Jonah disliked the Ninevites so much that he did not want them to receive mercy and forgiveness. Jonah believed they deserved to be judged and punished for their wickedness. Jonah would have been very pleased if God destroyed the entire city! In fact, he was so filled with bitterness and hatred toward the Ninevites that he told God he would rather die than see the city spared! See Jonah 4:3. We are often quick to judge others and point out their faults but make excuses for our own shortcomings and disobedience. This is the case with Jonah. He sinned by disobeying God’s instructions. He turned his back on God and went the opposite direction.

Yet God was not done with Jonah—and miraculously sent a big fish to save him from drowning. Jonah prayed inside the fish—he desperately needed mercy! Did he receive it? Yes.

But after God answered his prayer, did Jonah understand that Nineveh needing mercy, too? No.

He was still so filled with anger that he wanted God to punish them, not to give them another chance.

Optional: Read Psalm 103:10–11:

He does not punish us for all our sins; He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

Choose a volunteer to stand with you as you take out the money.

Let’s say this is someone I hired to work for me. At the end of the week, he/she deserves to be paid, or given a wage, for all the work done.

Hand the money to the volunteer.

The worker expected pay for the work done and got what was deserved. What do we earn when we sin?

Read Romans 6:23a:

For the wages of sin is death ...

Oh no, that’s not good! Do we really want what we deserve? The Bible says that we have all sinned. So, what is the wage we earn for our sins—what do we deserve to receive? Death.

But wait; there is more to the verse!

Read Romans 6:23b:

… but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Wow, God’s love and mercy gives us a free gift of life through Jesus instead of the punishment and death that we deserve!

Raise one hand high as you speak.

Raise your hand if you are thankful that we don’t get what we deserve!

You know, I am so thankful to God for His mercy that I am going to raise both hands! Raise both hands. On the count of three, let’s all jump up, raise our hands, and shout, “Thank You, God, for mercy!” Are you ready? One, two, three! All jump up and shout.

In Large Group, we said mercy is showing love, kindness and compassion to someone who doesn’t deserve it. No one deserves God’s mercy, but we all need it! He freely gives it to us, so let’s freely share it with others.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Pass out the craft patterns, scissors, and string to the children.

What does the fish remind us of? Jonah.

Did you know that the fish is also an ancient Christian symbol? Hold up one of the fish cards. Have you ever seen this fish-shape with Greek letters inside?

The Greek letters stand for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” Christians would make the sign of the fish to let others know they were followers of Jesus.

Cut the three fish apart, one for each lesson on Jonah. Your challenge this time is to look at the back of the fish for Lesson 1, read the Bible passage about mercy, and answer the questions on card. It also has a challenge for you to show mercy to someone. Next time, I’ll ask you to share with us what happened. 

Have the children use the hole punch to put a hole in each fish card, then thread the three cards onto the string to make a necklace.

Optional: Read Proverbs 3:3:

Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.

Our craft is based on that scripture. The idea of loyalty in this verse means that just because someone does something wrong, we are not to abandon or forsake that person, but to show mercy. We should always be thinking of ways to show mercy instead of judging someone. Kindness is another word associated with mercy. Jesus pours out His mercy and kindness upon us, so use these necklaces as a reminder that we should share it with others.