“God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh to declare repentance.
Jonah promptly heads the exact opposite direction. As he sails away from his
calling, a ship-wrecking storm develops. Certain his disobedience is the cause,
Jonah volunteers to be thrown overboard. This calms the raging sea, saving his
shipmates. Miraculously, Jonah escapes death when a great fish swallows him. He
languishes in that dark, putrid place three days, until he’s spit out on dry
ground. He then accepts his call to Nineveh. Yet, when the city repents and is
spared destruction, Jonah resents the mercy shown his enemies. God patiently
teaches Jonah He loves and seeks to rescue all His children. Jonah provides a
vivid testimony: in mortality, all are fallen. Here on earth, weeds grow, strong
bones break, and all come short of the glory of God. But this mortal condition is
essential to the very reason we exist: that we might have joy!” – Elder Matthew
S. Holland
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