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Running from Nineveh

A farmer called to be a prophet, a famine of the word, saviors on Mount Zion, and a prophet who got angry that God forgave his enemies

  • 🏔️ Youth 16–18
  • Week 48
  • 📅 Sunday, November 29, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

The Lord speaks through His prophets and gives second chances to everyone who turns to Him, including people I’d rather He didn’t, and He calls me to carry that mercy wherever He sends me.

I can seek the Lord, go where He sends me even when it’s not what I’d pick, and want His mercy for everyone.

Come, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Amos; Obadiah; Jonah)
Know the chapters

Amos wasn’t a professional prophet. He was a herdsman and a gatherer of sycamore fruit from Tekoa. The Lord called him right out of the fields. See Amos 1:1 and 7:14–15. A priest at Bethel told him to go home and stop prophesying. Amos basically answered that he hadn’t asked for this. The Lord sent him, in 7:10–15. He taught that the Lord reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets, in 3:7. He pleaded with a comfortable, unjust society: “Seek ye me, and ye shall live.” That’s 5:4, and see 5:6 and 5:14. He warned of a coming famine, not of bread, but “of hearing the words of the LORD,” in 8:11–12. Latter-day Saints see that famine in the Great Apostasy and its end in the Restoration. Older youth can open a scripture app any hour of the day. They may not realize how rare that has been in history.

Obadiah is one chapter long. It condemns Edom, the descendants of Esau, for cheering while Jerusalem fell, in Obadiah 1:10–14. It ends with a promise that “saviours shall come up on mount Zion,” in 1:21. Joseph Smith taught how we become saviors on Mount Zion. We do temple work for those who died without the chance. Your youth doing baptisms for family names are fulfilling that verse. So will those receiving their own endowments soon.

Jonah is the main event. The Lord called him to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, Israel’s brutal enemy. Jonah bought a ticket to Tarshish, the opposite direction, in Jonah 1:1–3. The storm, the sailors, the great fish and the prayer from its belly are famous. See 2:2 and 2:9. The ending is less famous. Nineveh repented and God spared it. Jonah was furious, and he told God why he had run: “I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful.” That’s 4:1–2. The book ends with God asking Jonah about caring for 120,000 people, in 4:11. Jonah never answers. It leaves the question for us. Compare Jonah with Alma, who wished he could preach to every soul, in Alma 29:1–2. And the sons of Mosiah couldn’t bear the thought of anyone suffering forever, in Mosiah 28:3. Jesus pointed to Jonah’s three days as a sign of His own death and Resurrection, in Matthew 12:40.

For priest-age young men and older Young Women thinking about missions, Jonah is very real. Missionaries don’t choose where they serve. Some calls are to places they never pictured. Jonah 3:1 is good news for anyone who has already run once: “the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time.” November 29 is a fifth Sunday, so check whether your ward holds youth classes that day. This lesson also works well any time before week 49. It’s Thanksgiving weekend in the United States. And Jonah 2:9 is a prayer of thanksgiving from inside a fish.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Jonah 1–4. It’s short. Read Amos 5:4 too. Do the mission-call hook, and have four readers read Jonah from their seats. Then spend real time on “Angry at Mercy.” End with the question the book of Jonah never answers, in 4:11. Share your testimony of second chances.

What to bring2 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Make the “mission call” envelope and seal it.
  2. On Saturday, text four youth to read the Narrator, Jonah, the Shipmaster and the King of Nineveh. Teens do better with a heads-up.
  3. Bookmark Amos 5:4–14, Amos 7:14–15 and Jonah 1–4.

If your class is wild

  • Have someone likely to play along open the “call.” Their reaction makes the hook.
  • Jonah is funny in places, like the sleeping prophet and the pouting under a plant. Let it be funny. The ending lands harder after laughter.
  • Readers stay in their seats. No costumes and no acting. Good reading with a little expression is plenty.
  • The talk might get heavy about real enemies or people who hurt them. Slow down. Wanting mercy for someone doesn’t mean excusing what they did.
  • If a youth has a mission call or is preparing papers, give them a chance to share one honest thought.

The 25-minute plan23 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Open Your Call

3 min

A fake mission-call opening gets laughs and makes Jonah’s situation instantly personal.

  1. SAY“This just came for you.”
  2. Hand the sealed envelope to a youth. Say, “Open it like a real mission call, out loud.”
  3. When they read “NINEVEH,” say, “Congratulations!” Then ask the room, “Would you be excited?”
  4. SAY“Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. It was the empire Israel feared most. Imagine being called to serve the people who threatened everyone you loved.”
  5. Ask, “Missionaries don’t pick where they go. What’s hard about that?” Then ask, “What’s good about it?”

Class screen: ✉️ You are hereby called to serve in… Nineveh? · Jonah 1:1–3

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: An envelope with a folded card inside that reads “You are hereby called to serve in NINEVEH”

Guess the Call

  1. SAY“A call just came in.”
  2. Pretend to open an envelope. Read slowly: “You are hereby called to serve in…” Pause. “…Nineveh.”
  3. Say, “Congratulations!” Then ask the room, “Would you be excited?”
  4. SAY“Nineveh was the capital of Assyria. It was the empire Israel feared most. Imagine being called to serve the people who threatened everyone you loved.”
  5. Ask, “Missionaries don’t pick where they go. What’s hard about that?” Then ask, “What’s good about it?”
2. Story

Readers’ Theater: The Prophet Who Ran

8 min

Four readers take the class through all four chapters, which shows that Jonah isn’t a fish story; it’s about whether we want God’s mercy for others.

  1. SAY“Jonah is four short chapters. And it’s not just a fish story. I need four readers, from your seats. I’ll read the Lord’s words.”
  2. Hand out the four parts, or tap Roles. Everyone else listens for one thing. Who in this story wants mercy for whom?
  3. Read the scenes from your phone or tablet. After scene 3, say, “The sailors tried harder to save Jonah than Jonah tried to save Nineveh.”
  4. After scene 8, let the silence sit. Ask, “Why do you think the book ends with a question?”
🌪️ If a reader stumbles on a word, read it with them quietly and keep going. Nobody stands and nobody acts.
🔊 Sound Board (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🐋 Run, storm, fish, second chance… and a question with no answer. · Jonah 1–4

3. Scripture

Seek Ye Me: Amos 5:4

4 min

Noticing a repeated word is a study skill, and Amos repeats “seek” on purpose.

  1. SAY“Jonah ran from the Lord. Amos says the opposite: seek Him. The Lord called Amos right out of the fields. That’s in Amos 7, verses 14 and 15.”
  2. Show the key verse. When a prophet repeats a word, pay attention. Race to find every “seek” in Amos 5:4–14.
  3. Each time someone finds one, the whole class says the key verse together.
  4. Ask, “What does seeking the Lord look like for someone your age? Not in general. This week.”

Class screen: 🔎 “Seek ye me, and ye shall live.” How many seeks can you find? · Amos 5:4–14

4. Talk it over

Angry at Mercy

5 min

Jonah 4 exposes something real in all of us: we love mercy for ourselves and sometimes resent it for others.

  1. SAY“Jonah’s complaint about God is that He’s too kind. Let’s be honest about that.”
  2. Have a youth reread Jonah 4:2.
  3. Use the questions. Let youth disagree and push back.
  4. Share the contrast. Alma wished he could preach to every soul, in Alma 29:1–2. The sons of Mosiah couldn’t bear anyone being lost, in Mosiah 28:3.
  5. Land it gently. Wanting mercy for someone doesn’t excuse what they did. It means trusting the Savior to handle both justice and mercy.
💬 Ask the class
  • Jonah got a second chance in Jonah 3:1. Then he got mad when Nineveh got one. Why is it easier to want mercy for ourselves than for others?
  • Think of a “Nineveh” for people your age. A group, a school rival, someone who hurt you. What would it look like to want the Lord’s mercy for them?
  • The pagan sailors were kinder to Jonah than he was to Nineveh. What does that teach about judging who’s “good”?
  • The book ends with God’s question, and Jonah never answers. What would your answer be?
  • If you serve a mission, you might be sent somewhere you didn’t pick. What would help you go like Jonah the second time, not the first?
🎡 Name Spinner (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 😤 Jonah’s problem with God: He’s too merciful. · Jonah 4:1–11

5. Testimony

The Second Time

3 min

End quietly with the Savior’s mercy, Jonah’s unanswered question, and a personal answer.

  1. SAY“Listen to Jonah 3:1. ‘And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time.’”
  2. SAY“If you’ve already run once, the call comes again.”
  3. SAY“In Matthew 12:40, Jesus said Jonah’s three days in the fish were a sign. They pointed to His own burial and Resurrection.”
  4. Bear a short testimony. The same Savior offers mercy to every Nineveh and every Jonah. And we can want that mercy for others.
  5. Give the challenge. Invite a youth to pray.

Class screen: 2️⃣ “The word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time.” · Jonah 3:1

6. Wiggle break

Storm on the Ship

2 minBONUS

A quick command game burns energy and reviews Jonah 1.

  1. SAY“Everyone up. This room is the ship.”
  2. Tap waves on the Sound Board.
  3. Call commands faster and faster. Port: left wall. Starboard: right wall. Tarshish: back wall. Nineveh: front wall. Cast lots: groups of three.
  4. The last one to the right spot becomes the caller. End with “Calm sea.” Everyone sits in silence.
🌪️ Thin walls? Call the commands softly. Everyone walks, never runs.
🔊 Sound Board (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: ⛵ Port! Starboard! Tarshish! Nineveh! Calm sea! · Jonah 1:4–17

7. Game

Scripture Showdown: Lightning Round

3 minBONUS

A quick team quiz reviews Amos, Obadiah and Jonah.

  1. SAY“Sailors vs. Ninevites. Five seconds to huddle, then one answer.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown. Play as many questions as fit in about three minutes.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Sailors vs. Ninevites: lightning round!

Readers’ theater

The Prophet Who Ran

Jonah 1–4 ↗

Reading parts (volunteers, from their seats)

  • NarratorReads each scene from your phone or tablet, from their seat, with good pacing and a little drama.
  • JonahReads Jonah’s lines from their seat: 1:12, 2:2, 2:9, 3:4 and 4:2.
  • ShipmasterReads the shipmaster’s wake-up call in 1:6 and the sailors’ prayer in 1:14, from their seat.
  • King of NinevehReads the king’s decree from 3:8–9, from their seat, like he means it.

Scenes

  1. 🏃 “Arise, go to Nineveh.” Jonah went the other way.

    The Lord told Jonah to go warn Nineveh. It was the capital of Assyria, the enemy Israel feared most. So Jonah went down to Joppa. He paid for a ticket to Tarshish. And he sailed the opposite direction.

    🙌 You read the Lord’s call from Jonah 1:2. The Narrator reads 1:3.

  2. 🌊 A mighty storm, and Jonah fast asleep

    The Lord sent a great wind. The ship was about to break apart. Every sailor prayed to his own god. They threw cargo overboard. And Jonah? Asleep below deck.

    🙌 The Shipmaster reads Jonah 1:6. Tap waves on the Sound Board.

  3. 🎲 The lot falls on Jonah

    The sailors cast lots to find out whose fault the storm was. The lot fell on Jonah. He admitted he was running from the Lord. Throw me overboard, he said. But the sailors rowed even harder to save him first.

    🙌 Jonah reads 1:12. The Shipmaster reads the sailors’ prayer from 1:14.

  4. 🐋 Overboard, calm sea, and a great fish

    So they threw him in, and the sea went calm. The Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. He was inside it three days and three nights.

    🙌 The Narrator reads 1:17 slowly. Tap splash.

  5. 🙏 A prayer from the belly of the fish

    From the darkest place imaginable, Jonah prayed. And the Lord heard him. He ended with thanksgiving. Salvation is of the Lord. Then the fish spat him out on dry land.

    🙌 Jonah reads 2:2, then 2:9.

  6. 2️⃣ The word of the Lord came “the second time”

    The Lord gave Jonah the same call again. This time, he went. We only have one line of his preaching. Forty days, and Nineveh would be overthrown. The whole city fasted, king included. They turned from violence.

    🙌 Jonah reads his one-line sermon from 3:4. The King reads 3:8–9.

  7. 😤 God spared them, and Jonah was furious

    God saw them turn, and He spared the city. Jonah was so angry he wanted to die. Then he admitted why he’d run in the first place.

    🙌 Jonah reads 4:2: “I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful…”

  8. 🌱 A plant, a worm, and a question

    Jonah sat outside the city to watch. God grew a plant to shade him. Then God sent a worm to kill it. Jonah was angry about the plant too. So God asked him a question. You pity a plant. Should I not pity a whole city? The book ends there. Jonah never answers.

    🙌 You read the Lord’s question in Jonah 4:10–11. Hold five seconds of silence.

Key verse

Amos 5:4 ↗
“For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live”
In plain words: The Lord’s invitation is simple: come looking for Me, and you’ll find real life.
🙌 Study skill: find every “seek” in Amos 5:4–14 (verses 4, 5, 6, 8 and 14; verse 5 is the “seek not” one). Each time someone finds one, the class says the key verse together. By the fifth round, say it without looking.

More verses

Amos 3:7 ↗
“Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets”
In plain words: God tells His prophets what He is doing, so we don’t have to guess.
Amos 8:11 ↗
“I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD”
In plain words: The worst famine is going without God’s word. The Restoration ended that famine.
Obadiah 1:21 ↗
“And saviours shall come up on mount Zion”
In plain words: Through temple work, ordinary people help bring salvation to those who died without the chance.
Jonah 4:2 ↗
“for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness”
In plain words: Jonah ran because he knew God would forgive his enemies, and he didn’t want Him to.

Forehead Guess words15 words

  • 🧔 Jonah
  • 🏙️ Nineveh
  • ⛵ Tarshish
  • 🌊 Storm
  • 🎲 Casting lots
  • 🐋 Great fish
  • 🧥 Sackcloth
  • 2️⃣ The second time
  • 🌱 Gourd
  • 🐄 Amos
  • 🍞 Famine of the word
  • 📜 Prophet
  • 📄 Obadiah
  • 🛕 Saviours on mount Zion
  • ✉️ Mission call
Clues for each word
  • Jonah: Prophet who ran the other way
  • Nineveh: Assyrian capital that repented
  • Tarshish: Where Jonah bought a ticket instead
  • Storm: The Lord sent it after the runaway ship
  • Casting lots: How the sailors found out it was Jonah
  • Great fish: Three days and three nights inside
  • Sackcloth: What the king of Nineveh wore to repent
  • The second time: When the word of the Lord came again (Jonah 3:1)
  • Gourd: Shade plant God grew, then let a worm kill
  • Amos: Herdsman the Lord called to be a prophet
  • Famine of the word: Worse than a famine of bread (Amos 8:11)
  • Prophet: The Lord reveals His secrets to them (Amos 3:7)
  • Obadiah: The shortest book in the Old Testament
  • Saviours on mount Zion: What temple workers become (Obadiah 1:21)
  • Mission call: Tells you where you’ll serve
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown10 questions

  1. What did Amos do before the Lord called him as a prophet?
    • A. He was a herdsman and fruit gatherer
    • B. He was a priest at the temple
    • C. He was a king’s scribe
    Show answer

    ✅ A. He was a herdsman and fruit gatherer Amos 7:14–15. The Lord called him straight from the flock.

  2. According to Amos 3:7, to whom does the Lord reveal His secrets?
    • A. Kings
    • B. His servants the prophets
    • C. Only angels
    Show answer

    ✅ B. His servants the prophets God doesn’t leave His people guessing.

  3. Amos 8:11 warned of a famine of what?
    • A. Bread
    • B. Water
    • C. Hearing the words of the Lord
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Hearing the words of the Lord Latter-day Saints see this in the Great Apostasy, ended by the Restoration.

  4. What does Obadiah 1:21 say shall come up on mount Zion?
    • A. Armies
    • B. Saviours
    • C. Kings
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Saviours Joseph Smith taught this happens through temple work for the dead.

  5. Where did Jonah try to go instead of Nineveh?
    • A. Tarshish
    • B. Egypt
    • C. Jerusalem
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Tarshish Jonah 1:3. The opposite direction.

  6. Who tried harder to save Jonah during the storm?
    • A. Jonah himself
    • B. No one
    • C. The pagan sailors
    Show answer

    ✅ C. The pagan sailors Jonah 1:13. They rowed hard to reach land before throwing him over.

  7. What happened when Jonah finally preached in Nineveh?
    • A. They threw him out
    • B. The whole city fasted and repented
    • C. Only the king listened
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The whole city fasted and repented Jonah 3:5–10. From the greatest to the least.

  8. Why did Jonah say he ran in the first place?
    • A. He was afraid of the sea
    • B. He had no money
    • C. He knew God was gracious and merciful
    Show answer

    ✅ C. He knew God was gracious and merciful Jonah 4:2. He didn’t want his enemies forgiven.

  9. Jesus said Jonah’s three days in the fish were a sign of what?
    • A. His own burial and Resurrection
    • B. The Flood
    • C. The Second Coming
    Show answer

    ✅ A. His own burial and Resurrection Matthew 12:40.

  10. How does the book of Jonah end?
    • A. With Jonah’s apology
    • B. With God’s question and no answer
    • C. With Nineveh destroyed
    Show answer

    ✅ B. With God’s question and no answer Jonah 4:11. The question is left for us to answer.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Master, the Tempest Is Raging Hymns, no. 105

    A storm at sea and the Lord who commands it, like the storm around Jonah’s ship. Find it ↗

  • We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet Hymns, no. 19

    Amos 3:7: the Lord reveals His will through prophets, and we have one today. Find it ↗

  • Count Your Blessings Hymns, no. 241

    Thanksgiving week, and Jonah 2:9 is a thank-you prayer from inside a fish. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Turn Toward Nineveh

Pick one. Pray this week for someone you find hard to love, and ask to want the Lord’s mercy for them. Or, if you’ve been running from something, turn around. The call comes “the second time.” Or find one family name on FamilySearch and plan a temple trip to be a savior on Mount Zion.

Text the parents

In class this week we studied Amos, Obadiah and Jonah. Amos was a farmer called to be a prophet. Obadiah promised “saviours on mount Zion” through temple work. And Jonah ran from his call, then got angry when God forgave Nineveh. We talked about missions, second chances and wanting mercy for people we don’t like. Ask your teen: “The book of Jonah ends with a question from God and no answer. What would you have said?”

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

⚖️ Jonah vs. Alma · 5 min

  1. Half the class reads Jonah 4:1–3. The other half reads Alma 29:1–2 and Mosiah 28:3.
  2. Each group describes their missionary’s attitude in three words.
  3. Ask, “What changed Alma and the sons of Mosiah into people who wanted everyone saved?” They had received mercy themselves and knew it.

🙏 Thanks from the Fish · 4 min

  1. Read Jonah 2:9 together.
  2. Ask, “What’s something you can thank God for even in a hard place?”
  3. Each youth writes or says one thank-you from their own “belly of the fish.”

🤝 Seek Good, Not Evil · 5 min

  1. Read Amos 5:11–15. Amos condemned people who took bribes and trampled the poor while staying religious.
  2. Ask, “What would Amos notice about how people your age treat others with less?”
  3. Brainstorm one act of fairness or kindness the class could do this month.

🍞 A Famine of the Word · 4 min

  1. Read Amos 8:11–12. Ask, “What would people ‘run to and fro’ looking for?”
  2. After the Apostles died, priesthood authority and revelation were lost for centuries. The Restoration through Joseph Smith ended that famine.
  3. Ask, “What would it be like to wander ‘from sea to sea’ looking for God’s word and not find it?”
  4. Ask, “You can open living prophets’ words on your phone any minute. Why can it still feel like a famine for some?” Then ask, “Who could you feed right now?”

🛕 Saviors on Mount Zion · 5 min

  1. Read Obadiah 1:21. Say, “Joseph Smith taught that this is about us. When we do temple ordinances for people who died without them, we help the Savior save them.”
  2. Invite youth with FamilySearch on their phones to open Ordinances Ready or their family tree. Look for one name.
  3. Ask, “Who is the only Savior? Then why would the Lord call us ‘saviours’ with a small s?”
  4. Invite them to plan one temple trip with a family name before the end of the year.

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

All Youth 16–18 lessons