Jonah’s Resistance, God’s Persistence

Jonah’s purpose was completed–he delivered God’s message to Nineveh and the people repented. It should have been a time of joy, a time to reflect in awe at God’s overwhelming mercy. But instead Jonah complained; he saw the mercy and he deemed it unfit, so he complained and camped outside of the city, hoping to see a mistake that would incur destruction. In what areas do we have the heart of Jonah? 

Dwell on this question as it will come back at this article’s end. 

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The people of Nineveh responded immediately to Jonah’s message (thus shows the power of a softened heart) but Jonah was unmoved. He spoke the words of God, but he lacked the heart of God. Jonah was in the right place and the appointed time; he preached God’s words to the people and they responded genuinely. It wasn’t Jonah’s physical location that was the problem, there amidst the repentful wicked, it was his heart; His heart was amidst the wickedness inside himself, surrounded by hatred, bitterness, and unforgiveness. He did not want these people to see the grace of God–he wanted to boycott the very thing he received so much of. God asked Jonah if he was right to be mad, but Jonah just left the city without an answer. A man who defied the Lord, who was saved miraculously by a fish and raised up once again to deliver the message, all before he ever repented, was unable to accept that that same grace would be extended to Nineveh. It was unmistakable hypocrisy. It is unmistakably relatable. We love grace when it is extended to us; but if it is we who are inconvenienced by a co-worker? We opt for damnation instead of mercy. 

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So Jonah camped outside of the city to watch and wait. He wanted to see the destruction of Nineveh come down on them, hoping they would mess up; the fact that God’s grace was accessible to them enraged him to the point of wanting to die. But God wanted him to understand, so He gave Jonah a leafy plant to shade him and ease his discomfort, and Jonah was exceedingly glad about the plant. That night, God appointed a worm to attack the plant, causing it to die. In the morning, God appointed a scorching wind, and for the sun beat down on Jonah. At this he was exceedingly displeased and once again wanted to die, so God asked Jonah if he was right to be angry for the plant–for a thing that he had no power over nor any participation in–and Jonah responded yes. Why, then, should Jonah pity the plant, but God should not pity a city of 120,000 people who did not know their left hand from their right hand (and in those times that was used to refer to children)? Jonah valued the things that served him–God’s grace, the plant–but would not value a city full of people whose hearts were willing to respond to God’s message. Jonah’s priority was himself. 

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And so, the book of Jonah comes to an abrupt end. We know nothing of what comes after, but here is what we can know: God’s grace out-paced Jonah’s rebellion–no matter where he went, God was there. God’s compassion triumphed over Jonah’s cruelty–God spared Jonah and redirected him back towards his calling, but God also relented at Nineveh’s repentance. Finally, we need to recognize that all too often we share in Jonah’s heart, and that leads back to the initial question of this article: 

In what areas do we have the heart of Jonah? 

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And to another question: 

What is our priority? 

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Find these areas and allow God’s heart to take back what hatred had claimed.