Chapter 2: The Storm

Then the Lord hurled a great wind across the sea.

Not a normal storm. This one hit like a wall. Waves crashed over the deck. The ship groaned and cracked. These men knew the sea. But this storm was different. It had a purpose. And every man on that deck could feel it.

And while the entire crew fought for their lives, Jonah was below deck. Fast asleep.

The captain found him and said:

CAPTAIN“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 1:6

The sailors needed to know who was responsible. So they did what was common in that time: each man drew a lot to let fate reveal the guilty one. The lot fell on Jonah.

They surrounded him. Who are you? Where do you come from? What have you done?

JONAH“I am a Hebrew. I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”— Jonah 1:9

The men were terrified. Jonah had already told them when he boarded that he was running from his God. The God who made the ocean was the one chasing this man.

They asked him what to do.

JONAH“Pick me up and throw me into the sea. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”— Jonah 1:12

But the sailors refused. Instead of throwing him overboard, they tried to steer the ship back to shore. They did everything they could to get out of the storm without sacrificing this man's life.

The sea only grew worse.

Finally, with no other choice, the sailors cried out to Jonah's God. They begged Him not to hold them guilty for this man's death. Then they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea.

The moment he hit the water, the storm stopped. The wind died. The waves went flat. Silence.