Self-Righteous, and Mercy Deficient
Text: Jonah 4:1-11
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” —Ephesians 4:32
Have you ever found yourself bitter because someone else was given a second chance and you didn’t think they deserved it? The climax of Jonah’s story focuses on the prophet’s self-centeredness, deficiency of compassion, and his subtle hypocrisy.
We see that “it displeased Jonah exceedingly” that in the previous chapter, the pagans turned from their “evil” and God “relented” of the “disaster” he had threatened. The pagans are in harmony with God, but Jonah is not, as he alone is now characterized by disapproval of the outcome.
Usually a preacher is pleased when his audience repents, but in this last chapter of Jonah we see the opposite. Jonah was displeased that the Ninevites had repented and that God had shown them mercy. In fact, Jonah became exceedingly “angry,” as the language in the original Hebrew here is quite intense. Why would the preacher get so upset at the success of his own ministry?
When Jonah does finally express concern over something perishing, ironically it is a withered plant, not the pagan sailors or the 120,000 people “who do not know their right hand from their left”—an idiom for being morally unaware or spiritually lost. Jonah himself had called on the mercy of God and benefited from that mercy, but he resents that mercy when it is extended to others he doesn’t approve of. What if God treated Jonah the way Jonah wanted God to treat the people of Nineveh?
Isn’t it astounding that Jonah was so much like the prodigal son in need of mercy, but then later finds himself looking just like the self-righteous older brother in Luke 15:25-30, or the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:21-35? I think there is at least one other semblance God wants us to apprehend in this lesson, and that is how sometimes our attitude can look a lot like Jonah’s. When I reap the benefits of God’s mercy but find myself wishing God’s wrath to be poured out on others, I look very much like that selfish prophet from the past. When I sing the praises of God’s amazing grace over my own sins, yet secretly wish that others pay the price for their sins, I share a similar hypocrisy with Jonah. When I find myself angry or jealous at the spiritual successes of others rather than rejoicing in what God is doing in them and through them… you get the picture.
The book of Jonah ends abruptly, as if the biblical author intended to create a tension with the cliffhanger. After Jonah’s complaint, God explains in verses 10-11 why it is silly for Jonah to care so much about a plant and so little about a city full of people—and that’s the end. We are left to make our own conclusions about the contrast between God’s grace and Jonah’s desire for judgment, and how we can look just like him when we are deficient in our mercy giving. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, you are merciful and gracious. Your loving-kindness has disrupted my life in so many good ways. Teach me to rejoice when that same mercy is given to other undeserving sinners. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Questions for Reflection and/or Group Discussion
- When have you experienced a surprising, undeserved measure of God’s mercy in your life?
- How did Jonah respond to God’s goodness to the Ninevites? (Jonah 4:1) What was the attitude of Jonah’s prayer? (vv. 2-3)
- How did God deal with Jonah and what did God want Jonah to understand? (vv. 4-11)
- Jonah wanted Nineveh, Israel’s enemy, destroyed. When have you wanted revenge rather than restoration in a relationship? What hard lesson have you had to learn from God?
- What is one way you can extend God’s love and mercy toward others, particularly those who don’t deserve it?
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