Jonah went in the opposite direction of that in which God wanted him to go. Jonah was jealous of God's unbounded desire to include even the evil city of Nineveh in his kingdom. Like the older brother in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son, Jonah wouldn't hear or speak of God's gracious redemptive sweep, which included even prodigals and foreigners. So, through a great fish, God opened up Jonah's ears so that he would be able to speak God's word of repentance and redemption.

"He even causes the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak!" Likewise, Saul, on his way to Damascus to single out Christians for persecution, met God face to face. Blind and deaf to God's gracious and redemptive power, the Lord came crashing into his life on that road. His entire world was flipped upside down. Jesus touched…