The Prodigal Prophet

Jonah and the Mystery of God's Mercy

By: Timothy Keller

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

An angry prophet. A feared and loathsome enemy. A devastating storm. And the surprising message of a merciful God to his people.

The story of Jonah is one of the most well-known parables in the Bible. It is also the most misunderstood. Many people, even those who are nonreligious, are familiar with Jonah: A rebellious prophet who defies God and is swallowed by a whale. But there's much more to Jonah's story than most of us realize.

In The Prodigal Prophet, pastor and New York Times best-selling author Timothy Keller reveals the hidden depths within the book of Jonah. Keller makes the case that Jonah was one of the worst prophets in the entire Bible. And yet there are unmistakably clear connections between Jonah, the prodigal son, and Jesus. Jesus in fact saw himself in Jonah. How could one of the most defiant and disobedient prophets in the Bible be compared to Jesus?

Jonah's journey also doesn't end when he is freed from the belly of the fish. There is an entire second half to his story - but it is left unresolved within the text of the Bible. Why does the book of Jonah end on what is essentially a cliffhanger? In this audiobook, Timothy Keller provides an answer to the extraordinary conclusion of this biblical parable - and shares the powerful Christian message at the heart of Jonah's story.

©2018 Timothy Keller (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Unlike most suburban megachurches, much of Redeemer is remarkably traditional. What is not traditional is Dr. Keller’s skill in speaking the language of his urbane audience... Observing Dr. Keller’s professorial pose on stage, it is easy to understand his appeal.” (The New York Times)

“Fifty years from now, if evangelical Christians are widely known for their love of cities, their commitment to mercy and justice, and their love of their neighbors, Tim Keller will be remembered as a pioneer of the new urban Christians.” (Christianity Today)

“Timothy Keller puts a contemporary spin on the familiar story of the prophet who disobeyed God and was swallowed by a whale.” (Publishers Weekly)

Great book!

The book was amazing! Jonah is definitely my favorite book and character in the Bible. I love the narrator. I just wish he went slower. There were deep thoughts in the book that just needed to sink so I had to press pause. I had to hear it in slow speed or pause for those moments. Overall the content was beautiful! I loved how balanced Keller’s Christian writing is. The narrator was great! I totally recommend this book.

Gods grace.

digging deeper into the book of Jonah opened my eyes to a whole ne outlook in Gods grace, forgiveness and love for us all.

Multifaceted Applications

Keller wrote a well-argued account of Jonah, from connection to the parable of the prodigal son, the concept of grace, Jesus’s death on the cross, and other New Testament ideas. Jonah has a multifaceted application to our theology and our Christian lifestyles.

If you liked Prodigal God and Counterfit Gods then you will like this book.

An insightful short book by T. Keller. He does a good job at unpacking the story of Jonah and linking it to the New Testament.

Excellent!

A great message of truth, clearly taught! Loved it and worth your time to listen to :)

Brilliant!

“The main point to Jonah was God’s grace. The main point to us of Jonah is God’s grace.”

In typical Keller fashion, he exposits the book of Jonah while applying it to our day and age. This book was excellent and had me looking in fresh ways at a book and story I have read many times before. For example, he compares the first two chapters of Jonah with the first half of Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son (fleeing from God and finding Himself at the end of his rope) and the second two chapters of Jonah as the second half of the Parable with the older brother (judging God’s grace for undeserving people). Brilliant!

The first 2/3 of the book was a verse by verse look and breakdown of the book of Jonah, while the last 1/3 was a more depth look at some of the books’ themes: God’s incredible mercy, nationalism, patriotic pride, racism, moral relativism - themes that all apply perfectly to our culture.

He reminds us that the book of Jonah ends with God’s challenge to Jonah regarding the way he looked at the people of Nineveh (sinners) compared to God’s grace towards them. The book ends without any resolution as Jonah fades off the scene and leaves us considering God’s very challenge in our own lives.

Highly recommend!

great take on a very interesting book

Jonah has always interigued me, I enjoyed this authors take on it. I also liked the application across multiple address of life and culture.

Very helpful

Lots of good things to ponder for one's own life coming out of this book. Most encouraging is the goodness and patience and kindness of God that pursued Jonah, and pursues us.

A New Understanding of Jonah

Timothy Keller did an excellent job of bringing to light many aspects of the book of Jonah that I’d never thought of.

His observations were biblical, personally thought provoking and at times convicting. I have a totally new perspective of this story and I’ve recommended this book to several people.

Sean’s narration of the book was excellent.

Great book!

Great book. Much that I learned about Jonah that I never realized or picked up on before. Well worth the time investment to read and grow.