100,000 People

Jonah 4:1-11

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.  He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.  Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.  Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

We rejoin Jonah after his ordeal in the belly of a great fish and his mission to Nineveh which was wildly successful.  He proclaimed God’s judgement of Nineveh and called them to repent.  Amazingly, they do repent and God does not bring destruction on them.  Jonah, who never wanted to go in the first place, is angry.  Listen Jonah’s words once more: 

“That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.  Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” (4:2-3)

Disobedient Jonah is peeved because Nineveh IS obedient and because God is compassionate!  Before we get too indignant about that, let us ask ourselves the question, “are there people who we silently wish will face harsh judgment?”  I admit that those people not only exist, I can name names.  And just like Jonah, I feel very justified in my estimation that those people deserving scalding condemnation.  I’m pretty sure you can name names as well, but I won’t ask you to as long as you don’t ask me.  But imagine that God just “up and forgives them” with no consequences for their actions?  Often theologians will talk about the “scandalous grace” of the New Testament, but here it is in the Old Testament.  What kind of God shows compassion to “those people?”

But I have to say I love the way God handles indignant Jonah.  The shade plant thing is ingenious!  And though I have read it dozens of times, I am always convicted by God’s gentle response to Jonah’s fury over the withered plant:

 But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

God calls Jonah and me (and you) away from a self-referential world to a world where God has made everything and everyone – even “those” people.  We’re called to others from the perspective of the One who made them.  We don’t know if Jonah ever got on board with that concept, but I hope he did.  I hope we will too.

Prayer:  Help us Lord with our compassion deficit with people we would rather see judged.  We want to leave judgement, when necessary up to you.  Amen.

Prayer Focus: Pray for the people you least want to pray for today.

Video:  Instead of a song today, watch a video about how we could see others