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Jonah and Nineveh: Repentance

Jonah 1–3; Acts 3:19; Matthew 12:41 Old Testament PrincipleRepentance

A huge brick fish spits Jonah out onto a sandy beach.

God told Jonah to go to the big, wicked city of Nineveh. But Jonah ran the other way! God sent a storm, and Jonah was thrown into the sea. God sent a huge fish to swallow him. Inside the fish, Jonah prayed and turned back to God. The fish spit him out on dry land. Then God gave Jonah a second chance. Jonah went to Nineveh and gave a very short message. "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!" The whole city believed God. From the king to the cows, they turned from their evil ways, and God showed them mercy. Repentance means turning away from sin and back to God.

Repentance means turning away from sin and back to God. God is merciful and welcomes everyone who turns back to Him.

  1. CreationGod made it
  2. FallWe broke it
  3. RedemptionJesus fixes it (this lesson)
  4. RestorationJesus makes it new

Memory verse

“Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away.”

Acts 3:19 BSB

Christ Connection · Better than

Jesus said, "The men of Nineveh… repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here" (Matthew 12:41). Jonah ran from God's mission and preached grudgingly. Jesus came willingly from heaven, died for our sins and rose again, so that "repentance for the forgiveness of sins" could be preached to all nations (Luke 24:47). When we turn to Him, our sins are wiped away (Acts 3:19).

Matthew 12:41; Luke 24:46-47; Acts 3:19

The Big Story · Redemption

Everyone has run away from God, just like Jonah. Sin is going our own way instead of His. But God doesn't give up on runaways. He sent Jesus, who is greater than Jonah, to die for our sins and rise again. Now God calls everyone, everywhere, to turn back to Him and be forgiven.

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God told Jonah to preach to the wicked city of Nineveh, but Jonah ran the other way. God sent a storm and a huge fish. Inside the fish, Jonah prayed and turned back to God. Then God gave him a second chance. Jonah told Nineveh, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!" The whole city believed God and turned from their evil ways, and God showed them mercy. Repentance means turning away from sin and back to God.

Start here

Do "Turn around!" Walk the minifigure the wrong way down the brick path. Ask, "Will he ever get home this way?" Turn him around. Say, "Today we'll see two times people turned all the way around."

Bible story 6 min

God said to Jonah, "Go to the big city of Nineveh. Tell them I see the bad things they do." But Jonah did not want to go. He ran the other way! He got on a ship. It was going far over the sea.

God sent a big storm. The ship almost broke! Jonah said, "Throw me into the sea." So the men did. Then the sea was calm.

God sent a great fish. Gulp! It swallowed Jonah. Jonah was in the fish for three days and three nights. There, in the dark, Jonah prayed. He turned back to God. He said, "God is the One who saves!" Then the fish spit Jonah out on dry land.

The rest of the story, discussion questions, songs, Live It and prayer are for members.

Try an activity

Build the fish and the city 10 min

You’ll need: A tub of building bricks, Baseplates, Minifigures or small brick people

  1. Pairs build the great fish or the city of Nineveh from the build guides.
  2. Put a Jonah minifigure inside the fish. Have him pray, "Salvation is from the LORD!"
  3. Walk Jonah to Nineveh. Have him say his short message. Turn all the city's minifigures around to face God's way.
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More lessons from this story

Same Bible story, a different principle.

Kings and ProphetsJonah Runs from GodJonah 1:1-17; Jonah 2:1-10; Jonah 3:1-10; Jonah 4:1-11Jonah ran from God's call to Nineveh, but God chased him, rescued him with a big fish, and showed His great compassion to a whole city that turned from evil.Old TestamentCompassion

More lessons on Repentance

The same principle in other Bible stories.

The Rooster Crows: Peter Denies JesusLuke 22:31-34; Luke 22:54-62At the Last Supper, Peter said he would never leave Jesus. But Jesus said that before the rooster crowed, Peter would say three times that he didn't know Him. Jesus also said, "I have prayed for you." That night, Jesus was arrested. By a fire in the high priest's courtyard, Peter said three times, "I don't know Him!" The rooster crowed, and Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Peter went out and cried hard. But Jesus had already prayed for him. Peter turned back, and Jesus forgave him.New TestamentRepentanceThe Golden CalfExodus 32:1-35; Exodus 34:1-8While Moses was on Mount Sinai with God, the people grew tired of waiting. They made a golden calf and worshiped it. God was angry, but Moses prayed for the people, and God showed mercy. When we sin, we don't make excuses. We repent, turn back to God and tell Him the truth, and He forgives.Old TestamentRepentanceYou Are the Man: Nathan’s Story for King David2 Samuel 12:1-13; 2 Samuel 11:1-27; Psalm 51:1-12; 1 John 1:9King David did terrible things. He took another man's wife, Bathsheba, and had her husband, Uriah, killed in battle. Then he tried to hide it. But God saw, and He sent the prophet Nathan to David with a story about a rich man who stole a poor man's only lamb. David was furious – "The man who did this deserves to die!" Nathan said, "You are that man!" David stopped hiding. "I have sinned against the LORD," he said. And Nathan answered, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You will not die." Repentance means agreeing with God about our sin and turning back to Him, because He is ready to forgive.Old TestamentRepentanceThe Church BeginsSaul Meets JesusActs 9:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:17Saul was trying to hurt Jesus' followers. But on the road to Damascus, the risen Jesus stopped him with a bright light and spoke to him. Saul turned around, followed Jesus, and became one of His greatest messengers.New TestamentRepentanceJesus the KingJesus and ZacchaeusLuke 19:1-10; Exodus 22:1Zacchaeus, a cheating tax collector, climbed a tree to see Jesus. Jesus called him by name and came to his house, and Zacchaeus turned from his sin and made things right.New TestamentRepentance