In the Belly of the Whale.

Let me preface this blog by saying that I will be talking about a Bible story. Please don't comment to criticize the Bible or its validity, or anything of the sort. Any critical remarks should be toward my personal opinions and content, not that of the reference I used for this blog.

If you grew up going to Sunday School and church almost every week of your life, you certainly heard the story of Jonah, from whence came the expression used as the title of this post. Now, the story of Jonah is found in the book of Jonah in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. This is one of the story most Christian children learn. Here is a summary of the story told to children:

Once, there was a man named Jonah, a prophet of God. God told Jonah to go to a city called Ninevah and preach God's word, but Jonah was scared and boarded a ship for elsewhere. On the ship, God sent a storm, so Jonah confessed and the sailors threw Jonah overboard to save the ship. However, in the water, God sent a whale to swallow Jonah. After three days and nights, Jonah prayed, and God told the whale to spit Jonah up on land. Jonah immediately went to Ninevah, where they all turned to God. The End.

Now, this story is simplified for children. It has a happy ending. It has a rise and fall. It is very similar to fairy tales or bedtime stories. I am not calling this story a fairy tale, I am simply saying that the way people simplify Bible stories for children has this effect, possibly because children would have difficulty understanding the full story.

Last semester, I decided to actually read the book of Jonah in the bible. The first part was very similar to the above story. Jonah flees to Tarshish, the sailors throw him off the ship, he gets swallowed by a whale.

Now firstly. Think about the concept of being swallowed by the whale. The illustrated children's book I have of Jonah shows a man kneeling in a cavernous, well-lit area lined by ribs. He is even smiling as he prays to God from this spacious, suite, stomach. Assuming there were a sea mammal alive today capable of swallowing a man and keeping him alive in its stomach, imagine what it would be like. I don't think I would be happy, smiling, or even calm. It is completely dark and devoid of light, leaving you completely alone. It isn't incredibly large or spacious; rather, it is small and wet. Being without sight, you rely on your other senses. The smell is terrible, as food is being digested around you. Have you ever heard your stomach digest? The odd gurgles and rumbles? That is all around you. And it must feel warm and wet, disgustsing everywhere. There isn't any dry ground on which to kneel, and you are forced to be in the yuckiness. And let's hope there is no need to use the sense of taste, though your tongue is dry from no water and your stomach yearns for a morsel of food. You do not know if you will ever see light or land again, if you will ever eat, drink, or breathe clean air. You do not know if this prison can be escaped, so you have no option but to wait for death and wonder at how you still live.

This is what was painted as a wonderful, safe option to children. This lovely room is where Jonah obediently smiled to God. Children's books, you got the story wrong. There is nothing happy or safe about the belly of the whale. Miraculous and amazing though it may be, it was not pretty.

Now, the next interesting thing is that the story does not end here. This is only two-thirds through the book of Jonah. As we know, the King of Ninevah is shocked. He orders all men and animals to wear sackloth and fast to be shown God's mercy. Which God does. Jonah should be rejoicing at an entire city saved and shown the true light of his God! Does he do this? No. Instead, Jonah gets angry and goes outside the city. He tells God he is angry and never wanted to come to Ninevah because he knows God would be mericful. God sends a plant to give Jonah shade, but the next day sends a worm to devour the plant. When it withers, Jonah wishes he were dead. He tells God he is so angry he could die.

So angry he could die? Over God taking away plant that he had only just sent to help Jonah?

The book ends with God basically telling Jonah that he just doesn't get it. Jonah is fuming about a plant that wasn't saved, and yet he would wish that fate upon all of Ninevah. Really, Jonah?

After reading this book, I burst into laughter. I can't help but laugh at the idea of a man crouched on the ground, staring at the remains of the withered plant and livid with anger. Through gritted teeth, he shouts, "I'm so angry I could die!" at God.

There is so much more in this story that they can't contain in a children's story. There are so many more messages than the few that they give: Don't run from God. Also, God always provides for his children. It's about so much more! It's about the inevitability of running from God, about how even though you are saved it isn't always pleasant. God provides, but the provision is so much worse than the original fate. And then the entire last chapter is about how ridiculous people can be. God blesses people, but when the blessing isn't there, when life gets difficult, people become enraged with God for things about which they have no right to be angry. The concept is absurd! And so many more messages embedded in Jonah's prayer, in all of his reactions, in the reactions of the sailors, the Ninevites, and the other characters in the story. The story is so much larger than a man who gets swallowed by a whale.

I have the children's story of Jonah memorized. But somehow, it seems to fall short of what the Bible actually intended.