Jonah delivered the massage
he didn’t want to deliver
to the people he hated

Their response as
not the response he hoped for

And the outcome he desired
was not that God would spare them
and God had spared them

In fact
Jonah was angry and upset
and made himself a spot
from where he could watch
the outcome he had in mind

the destruction of Nineveh

He wanted to watch
and enjoy
their destruction.

Almost like a spectator
in a pavilion
watching his favourite team
beat the opponents

He would have enjoyed that.

⬇️

Jonah 4:5
Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of the city. And there he made a booth for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city.

◀️📕📖

And therefore

Surprisingly,
the last chapter in this book
is
NOT when Nineveh repented,
as this would be the inspiring
ending
but is a manifestation / display of Jonah's heart.

An open-ended chapter
and we have not idea
how Jonah reacted afterwards.

I believe it’s open-ended
because God has another ending
that the reader and listened
should answer.

🤚🤚

The greatest problem in the book is no longer
the wickedness of Nineveh,
but the self-righteousness of God's prophet.

🤚🤚

In fact
he became angry

And if you would read the NIV (let’s say)

⬇️

Jonah 4:1
But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.

◀️📕📖

But if you have a more direct translation
this would be closer to the original

⬇️

Jonah 4:1
But this was a great evil to Jonah, and he became angry.

◀️📕📖

Jonah
deemed God’s mercy
as wrong
as evil!!
🤚🤚

Sit and wait
to enjoy destruction

He wanted to see, first hand
how they would be destroyed
and damned
and burned!

_________________

Imagine a Christian
- if you will -
angry at God
for salvation!!

🤚🤚

And if we thing that it’s weird
we should not rush to judge Jonah too quickly!!

And as much as I would like
to believe
that this is not what we do

I can’t say that!

Most people would rather see the destruction of their enemy
than their repentance!!
it’s a human thing
it’s natural

I have experienced
first from my own reactions
that I would rather see the destruction
of my enemy
rather the most difficult thing:
To love enemies
as Jesus commands in
a few places
like

⬇️

Matthew 5:44:
"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

◀️📕📖

🤚🤚

I have also experienced
when having a conversation with someone
and another - Christian -
would come to wreck the conversation
on purpose!
🤚🤚

We sometimes look down on the lost,
forgetting they NEED Christs
forgetting that WE were once lost
and separated from God.

Incredibly,
we can become so self-righteous
that we believe
some people are too bad, too evil, too wicked,
and therefore undeserving of God’s amazing grace.

The thought of
their destruction can actually bring us joy
rather than break our heart.

______ 🛑 🛑 ______
______ 🛑 🛑 ______

We can clearly see
the fallenness of mankind
in the heart of Jonah.

I think in the end
this is the purpose of the book.

The story of Jonah
is a reflection of the heart and condition of the human depravity
and corruption of the human heart

And by contrast
to a merciful and compassionate God

______ 🛑 🛑 ______
______ 🛑 🛑 ______

Jonah knew exactly who God is (v. 2)
This is one of the greatest confessions in Scripture.

His theology was perfect

Jonah quotes from Exodus 34:6,7

⬇️

Jonah 4:2b
I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning evil.

◀️📕📖

God is Gracious.
God is Merciful.
God is Longsuffering and patient
God is Loving
God is Forgiving

The living God
has the salvation of people
at heart

and He sent his Son into this world to die for them

🤚🤚
BUT

Fallen man
with and unchanged heart
would rather see
the destruction of man
than to bring
or to hear
or to even allow the Good news
of a compassionate God
to bring them to repentance.

______ 🛑 🛑 ______

Jonah’s theology may have been perfect
but his heart
was captured by self-righteousness

It really takes an immense change of heart
for self-righteous sinners
to become active in God’s plan

God’s plan
for the salvation of his people
does not include
for us to wait,
watch as people are destroyed

But to go
and make disciples

⬇️

Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

◀️📕📖

The “Great Commission”
IS NOT sit and watch

BUT to
go and make disciples
teaching them

In stead of passive indifference
and indignation

We are called to active compassion
and selfless love

_________________
_________________

______ 🛑 🛑 ______

God had to teach this to Jonah!!
And unfortunately for him
the lesson needed to be VERY clear!

And God does it
in a very surprising way

He used a WORM
Yes,
an insignificant little creature
we normally see as as pest

because it eats our profit
if we’re a farmer or gardened

The animals
demonstrate God's absolute sovereignty

God
first used the big fish
to tell remind Jonah
that He is in control

And then used the worm as
a reminder
that God is compassionate and merciful

⬇️

Jonah 4:6-8
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.”

◀️📕📖

All God did was to take Jonah’s comfort away!
And that was a comfort he did not have the previous day
neither did he plant the plant
neither did he care for it
neither did he water it
neither was it his

God took away
the comfort HE gave Jonah

Just that!
In stead of some shade
he has the sun

and becomes angry at God
and wished he could die!

God said…

⬇️

Jonah 4:10
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.

◀️📕📖

Jonah
was concerned for the plant
for selfish reasons

God has a heart for sinners
and selflessly gave us a Redeemer!

and everything we receive is grace from his goodness
and that can be taken away
overnight.

⬇️

Jonah 4:11
And should I not have concern for the great city of *Regina*, in which there are more than a hundred and *260 000* people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

◀️📕📖
_________________

Conclusion:

The book of Jonah

Shows God’s character
as merciful and forgiving

Points to Christ as the “Greater Jonah”
and as the Saviour of people

But is also shows the hearts of sinners
even Christians
and it’s not a good picture

Open ended ending:
it demands and answer from us
it calls us

⬇️

Jonah 4:11
And should I not have concern for the great city of *Regina*, in which there are more than a hundred and *260 000* people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

◀️📕📖

What a question!!
If you did not catch it
it’s rhetorical

God DOES have a concern for sinners
He is the only one that had it from the start

What would happen if God
just wanted to sit and watch
as we are damned.

But He did not - He sent his Son
that selflessly died for us.

But this rhetorical question
actually needs to be answered by us

Do you??
Do we really care that much?
He had to give instructions for the disciples to have the same desires
but it became THE driving force for missionaries
to bring the Gospel to a lost world

Do we have this concern??

Or is our concern
just a virtue we flash?
sending some dollars
to a distant place
where we can’t see the need
forgetting that there is a need on our doorstep?

How do we feel about the salvation of sinners?

Amen