That morning in Sunday School they talked about a guy who got swallowed by a big fish.

The man who led the discussion was a big teddy-bear of a man. He had a soft beard and a soft, indulgent smile. His sweater was colored in soft pastels. He spoke in soft tones about Jonah and the big fish.

"The key word for the book of Jonah," he said, "is sovereignty. It shows how God is always in control. It shows how everything happens according to a plan."

Jonah was listening carefully.

"It also shows," the man continued, "what happens when we humans rebel. We think we can do it on our own. We think we can come up with our own plan. That's what Jonah thought. And he learned that God always wins in the end."

At this point, Jonah raised his hand. He didn't have to do this. It was a small, informal group. He could have spoken out freely. But he liked to be utterly polite when he did what he was about to do.

All eyes turned toward Jonah. His politeness wasn't fooling any of them. They knew what he was about to do.

They hated him.

The leader paused ever-so-slightly before he re-smiled his bland smile. "Yes, Jonah?"

Jonah cleared his throat, glanced around quickly. "He didn't really rebel," he said evenly.

Eleven faces stared at him blankly. They were not smiling.

"Um ... what?" asked the man.

"Jonah didn't really rebel."

The man's eyes widened slightly, his eyes blinked nervously. "But he certainly did. Why, right there in verse five it says that Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord ...."

"Yes, I see that," said Jonah. "But ... you said God was sovereign, right?"

"Yeeeeessss ..." said the man, carefully.

"Well," said Jonah, licking his lips, "that means God must have wanted Jonah to rebel. It must have been God's plan that Jonah flee to Tarshish, and get thrown overboard, and get swallowed by a fish. God must have decided beforehand that this would happen. I don't see how Jonah had any choice in the matter. God made him rebel."

A stunned silence settled over the Sunday School room.

The big man shifted his weight from foot to foot. He was no longer smiling. "God certainly must have known that Jonah would rebel," he said slowly. "But Jonah is still responsible. God didn't make him rebel."

"He did," insisted Jonah, "if he is sovereign. 'Sovereign' is just another word for 'responsible'. If God is all sovereign, then He's responsible for everything that happens, including Jonah's rebellion."

"But Jonah must be held responsible for his own actions."

"Then God is not sovereign."

"But God is all sovereign."

"Then Jonah is not responsible."

"But Jonah is responsible."

And so on.