Scripture: Jonah 1:12 – “He said to them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you.” (NRSVue)
What does it mean to earn a second chance? My son is finishing up high school, and like many students, sometimes he does not do well on an assignment. And many times, especially when all the students do poorly, the teacher gives him a second chance. And sometimes, all he has to do is ask. But other times, he has to explain why he needs another chance, and if he has built up enough trust with the teacher, he might get that second chance.
The keys to honest second chances are sincerity and trust. Too many people think that they are owed a second chance, as if life is a video game and you can just have a do over. When they say, “give me another chance,” they feel it is owed to them, and it seems that the giver of the chance is being taken advantage of. But if the asker shows that they will learn from their mistake, they may get the chance if the giver trusts them enough.
We see this in the story of Jonah. Unlike the other books in the Scroll of the Twelve Prophets, Jonah is a story rather than a list of proclamations. Jonah seems like a pretty lousy prophet. When God asks him to prophesy to Israel’s enemy, the Assyrians, he runs away over the sea. God sends a mighty storm to punish Jonah, which threatens too destroy the ship and its crew. At first, Jonah is sleeping below, perhaps avoiding the situation, but the sailors ask him to pray to his god to save them. They cast lots to see who is blame, and it is revealed to be Jonah. He admits he is fleeing from God.
As a prophet, Jonah could have prayed to God. He could have used the lives of innocent sailors as collateral to ask God to save him along with them. But instead, Jonah takes the responsibility himself, and asked to be thrown into the sea. Once this happens, the storm disappears and the ship is saved. Jonah, too, is saved by being swallowed by a giant fish. And so it is in the belly of the fish, one would assume slowly being digested, that he thanks God for deliverance.
After being vomited out three days later, Jonah reluctantly promises doom to the Assyrians. And they take him seriously, beg God for forgiveness, and get another chance, a result that makes Jonah sulk in the desert.
Jonah both gets and does not get how second chances work. When he takes responsibility, he gets a second chance, but when his enemy does the same, he is annoyed. Too often, we are willing to ask for forgiveness ourselves, but push our enemies away as distrustful. Some people are willing to forgive others, but never themselves. The story of Jonah shows that both are necessary.
When we have faith in God, God has faith in us, and we get those second chances. In return, God asks us to build trust among ourselves so that forgiveness and second chances may abound. So the next time you honestly ask for a second chance, make sure you promise to offer similar chances to others.
Prayer: God, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Amen.
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