Big Fish, part 1 — Expect the Unexpected
Welcome to part 1 of our series Big Fish, where we will unpack the book of Jonah, experiencing this familiar Sunday school story in a fresh, new way.
1. In what ways have you grown to “expect the unexpected” (the title of Pete’s sermon this week) in your life with God?
2. In his sermon, Pete said that a main point of the book of Jonah is that “God’s message of hope, grace, mercy, and salvation is rejected by the expected and received by the unexpected.” What do you make of this? How have you found this be true in your life?
3. How do you see the quote above connecting with the Gospel message?
4. Read Jonah 1:1-3. What strikes you as most unusual about the beginning of this biblical story?
5. Discuss a time in your life when you attempted to run from God, or a call that God placed on your life. What were you fleeing? Why? What happened?
Read Jonah 4:1-3 and discuss the following questions.
6. While there may have been a lot to fear about preaching God’s word in Nineveh, Pete said in his sermon that Jonah fled from God primarily because he didn’t want God’s mercy extended to the people of Nineveh. Can you identify with Jonah in any way here?
7. Is there a group of people whom you would rather not receive God’s mercy? Why do you think this is? Try to wrestle together with this honestly and without judgment.
(*Video available after Sunday services)
