The Great Identity Problem: Reputation vs. Identity

Have you ever thought about your reputation? Have you ever considered your “legacy?” Maybe said to yourself, “I want this to be remembered.” Jonah tells us the story of someone more focused on his reputation than on who God had made him to be. Today, we will take a very brief look at Jonah and some of the lessons we can learn from his example.

Jonah’s identity is found first in 2 Kings 14. In 2 Kings 14 Jonah is given a prophecy by God to pass onto Jeroboam II. Jeroboam II was an evil man and king of Israel. But Jonah is told to tell him that God will expand the borders of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Because of this, Jonah becomes a celebrity. He is honored, which is culturally very relevant. Ancient Israel was a shame-honor society, so when Jonah is popular, it reflects well onto his name, father, family, and clan. Likewise, if he was to do something that was unpopular, it would negatively impact his name, his father, his family, and his clan.

God calls Jonah to do something unpopular in Jonah 1:1-2. “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before me.” God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrians and to proclaim their need for repentance. The Assyrians were the dominant world superpower at this time and they were hated in Israel. Not only does Jonah not want to see the Assyrians spared, he also does not want word getting out that it is because of him that the Assyrians have been spared. So, Jonah runs.

See, Jonah has forgotten who he is. He has forgotten that he is first and foremost created by God and called to obedience to God. Jonah instead chooses to seek out popularity and fame. Throughout Jonah, this is the tension point. Jonah eventually goes to Nineveh fairly begrudgingly, but even then, it is clear that he does not want anyone to find out that he is in Nineveh preaching repentance. Consider with me, in Jonah 4, following the repentance of the Ninevites Jonah complains to God and is filled with anger! He does not care for these people, only for his glory.

Let me make this practical. We all face temptations and we all face the temptation of caring more about what other people think of us rather than what God says about us. But let me encourage us to learn from Jonah’s example and to focus more on who God says that we are- His creation that is made in His image and has been made very good indeed. No matter what our position in life, this is who we are; which is something that Jonah would have benefited from remembering.

Pastor Daniel