Final Thoughts on Jonah

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The following is a post I wrote in 2014 and have edited for today. I am far from the woman who wrote these words, and yet, they still ring true for me today. To read the original post, click here.

Jonah was a prophet of the Lord in the Old Testament (before Jesus). His job was to reveal God's words to the people and kings of Israel - which was usually bad news of their disobedience and God's anger and punishment. But Jonah was given a new job opportunity to deliver God's message to an extremely evil city in what is now Iraq. Jonah was none-to-thrilled about his new assignment and thought he would outwit and outrun God by heading in the opposite direction toward today's Spain. Jonah could not imagine a world where God would extend His mercy and grace to the people who actually deserved it. He did not want to witness this scene and he did NOT want his good name attached to it. 

But God had different plans. And as is His way, God showed mercy and grace on His disobedient prophet, which Jonah was abundantly grateful for, until he realized God had not eased up on Plan A. God still expected Jonah to head off to Nineveh. And Jonah knew what God would do if the people were sorry. And he held onto his anger and bitterness and resentment.

But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. He prayed to the Lord..."I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity."

Jonah 4:1-2

This reminds me of another angry and bitter and resentful man that Jesus spoke about in one of His parables (an illustrated story His listeners could relate to).

"The older brother became angry...So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, "Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him.""

Luke 15:28-30

Do you notice the similarities between Jonah in chapter 4 and the Prodigal Son's brother in Luke 15? Their stories leading up to the end are not the same. Jonah disobeyed his Father while the "Brother" stayed home and was obedient to his father.

But their stories become very similar as soon as their Father/father responds to the lost and disobedient ones that return with repentance and begging for forgiveness, hoping that the Father/father will respond with compassion. Both the Ninevites and the Prodigal Son humbled themselves before their Father/father. Jonah and the brother watched as their Father/father displayed an extraordinary act of mercy and grace upon those who had wandered away from Him/him. And their rage and disgust built up inside.

As soon as the boys understood that the Father/father had shown mercy to the "sinners," they are both described as becoming "ANGRY." They had either watched their father mourn the loss of his son, or heard the Father express His own anger and plan to completely do away with the nation that had hurt Him so deeply. And then this...a complete turn around in love and forgiveness!

I look at these stories of Jonah and the "Brother" and immediately compare them to the Pharisees, which is exactly who the "Brother" was meant to represent in this Parable that Jesus told in Luke. All three of these "characters" are judgmental and too worried about the rules and the law. They want to see justice served to those who deserve it. And, God is a just God; so when He dishes out love and mercy and compassion and forgiveness, it is almost shocking to stand by and watch NOTHING happen!

And I JUDGE these "characters" with my big heart that knows God's love and mercy and compassion and forgiveness...I JUDGE them thinking, "You don't get it." And I JUDGE those around me. I would be lying if I said that I have never felt like God didn't dole out the punishment like I thought He should. I have sat in the judgement seat more often than I'd like to admit. I see injustice and I want it set right! A modern day Super Girl right here! My God and I will right the wrongs of the world! But when I do this, I am missing the point...I don't get it...

"...I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it."

John 12:47

Whether I judge the "characters" in these stories or the real people in my life, I become like Jonah. And then my Father must set me down and say:

...Should I not be concerned about...:

your neighbors?

your enemies?

those who annoy you?

those who have hurt you?

those in darkness?

the lost?

the lonely?

the broken?

the sinners? 

Jonah 4:11

Jesus did not come to judge, he came to save.  Our God is a God of second, twenty-second, and seventy-second chances! And we are oh so thankful when we are the recipients of His great mercy. But watching someone else, who in our eyes, has no business being forgiven, becomes tough! So we must trust that God knows what He is doing. We must allow God to discipline His children in His way. And how would we know if the one He's forgiving might not become someone great in His Kingdom. All the Bible Greats were great sinners.  Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Peter, Paul...and not "little church lady sins." These boys did it "right!" And these are men we respect enough to follow what their words and stories teach us.

Whether we like it or not, we are not meant to dispense judgement on others. Very clearly Jesus laid out our job for us here: "Love God. Love others." It's not easy, but it's not impossible if we lean into Jesus and let God be God.