119 Jonah: A Tale Unended

You would like to think that by the time we get to the end of his story, Jonah has changed. That after all he’d been through, he was a better person, a better servant of God than he was at the start of the story.

Sadly, by the time we get to chapter 4 of Jonah, we find that he is pretty much the same person he was in chapter 1: arrogant, opinionated, self-centered, and unsympathetic.

Jonah finally obeys God and goes to Nineveh, warning them of impending judgment. His message is blunt and offers no mention of God’s mercy or how to find His forgiveness.

Why? Because Jonah doesn’t really WANT the Ninevites to repent! He wanted them to pay for their wickedness.

But God’s Spirit breaks through anyway! And the people break down in sorrow.

So widespread is the repentance that we’re told it reaches from the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich – including the king himself! And God relents.

The Ninevites are happy.  God is happy.  But one person isn’t happy.  Who is that?  The preacher, Jonah!

What’s Jonah peeved about? That God would show mercy and withhold judgment from others.     

Do you smell a hint of hypocrisy here?  “I’m so grateful for my forgiveness, but I’m not about to offer that person forgiveness!”

Jonah goes outside the city, sits down, and waits. For what? He’s hoping their repentance will be short-lived and God’s judgment will still come… and he wants a front-row seat!

Instead, God gives him an object lesson. A vine grows up to give him shade from the sun and Jonah is happy. But then God appoints a worm to destroy the plant, and a scorching wind to blister the prophet. And Jonah gets angry.

God’s response? He asks a question: You cared about a plant that grew up overnight and was gone the next day. Should I not care about the Ninevites – people I created and love?

Thus we come to the conclusion of the book of Jonah. A strange way to end, isn’t it? Yet God’s question still rings today.

Who are the Ninevites in your world? People who have hurt you and the ones you love. People deserving of judgment every bit as much as the Ninevites.

Yet God loves them…every bit as much as He loves you.

Will you leave the judgment to God and forgive as you have been forgiven?

Text: Jonah 4

Originally recorded on May 22, 2011, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN.