Jonah’s story opens with God’s command, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” What made Nineveh “great?” I’m sure by normal standards, Nineveh was a great city. It was the capital of the world super-power. The flow of commerce and wealth was likely staggering. Even God acknowledged Nineveh was a “great city.” But great doesn’t mean good or righteous. Nineveh was a great city, filled with great evil. We should remember this. The world uses many standards and metrics to gauge value, but the standards that matter are God’s. Many cities, people, companies, and so on may be considered great. But are they godly? Are they holy? Greatness is wasted when it promotes evil.
Thankfully, Nineveh was also a city of great potential. When they heard Jonah’s preaching, they humbled themselves and repented. If we seek true greatness, we must humble ourselves, repent, and follow God.