What Right Do We Have?

We’re finishing up the Book of Jonah this morning.

As we unpack the last few verses, we’ll examine the character of God and our own attitude towards His mercy and grace.

The book of Jonah is a short but powerful story that teaches us valuable lessons about the nature of God's love and the extent to which we should emulate it in our own lives.

In Jonah 4:9-11, we see the prophet's response to God's mercy towards the city of Nineveh, and how his attitude highlights the need for us to examine our own hearts and motives.

In this morning’s message we ask ourselves, "What Right Do We Have?" and through it, we will seek to understand how we can embody the same love and compassion that God displays towards us, and towards others. Let us pray.

Let’s read Jonah 4:9-11

Jonah 4:9–11 NKJV

9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death!” 10 But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?

God’s Mercy is for All

God's mercy is a central theme in the book of Jonah, and it is crucial to understand that it is not limited to a certain group of people.

God's mercy extends to all people, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or nationality. This is evident in Jonah's mission to the Ninevites, who were a notoriously wicked and pagan people. Despite their sins, God showed them mercy and compassion, and they repented of their wrongdoing.

Jonah’s values were topsy-turvy, and we see this evidenced by his greater concern for personal physical comfort afforded by a vine than for the spiritual well-being of an entire city.

However, Jonah struggled to accept God's mercy for the Ninevites. He was angry that God had spared them, and he went outside the city to sulk.

In verse 9 of chapter 4, God asks Jonah a question, "Do you have a right to be angry about the plant?"

The first time God asked for justification of Jonah’s answer he received no reply. This time an answer came forth quickly. He turns God’s question into an affirmation.

What if Jonah had paused for an instant? He might have recognized the “crossroads” of the moment.

If he had answered with a negative, he would have had to admit the inconsistency of his logic and the inappropriateness of his anger; but he would have been on the road to recovery.

God uses the example of the plant that provided shade for Jonah to help him see his own lack of mercy. Jonah was concerned about the plant and his own comfort, but he was not concerned about the lives of the Ninevites.

As we reflect on God's mercy for all people, we must examine our own attitudes and actions towards those who may be different from us. Do we believe that God's mercy is only for certain people? Let’s look at Acts 10:34-35

Acts 10:34–35 NKJV

34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. 35 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.

Do we struggle to show mercy to those who we perceive as different or unlikable?

The gospel message is for everyone, and we must strive to extend God's mercy to everyone, just as God did for the Ninevites.

It’s Our Responsibility to Extend Mercy

Jonah 4:10 NKJV

10 But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night.

In verse 10 God challenged Jonah's anger towards the mercy He had extended to the Ninevites. God referred to Jonah’s attitude toward the plant.

The word translated “concerned” (ḥûs) in vv. 10–11 is significant.

The translation “have compassion” would better express the emotional connotation of this word.

While one normally does not have pity on a plant, the Lord was driving home Jonah’s inappropriate expression of anger.

The Lord was still teaching Jonah a lesson and scolded him for being too upset over a plant that he didn't even take care of.

The Lord was trying forcefully to drive home the ultimate question, “Who are you [Jonah] to question me?” Jonah’s anger expressed not only a lack of understanding but also a lack of trust.

So, Jonah was really worried about this little plant. But God was more worried about people, who are the most important thing He created.

Jonah apparently had grown completely indifferent to the fate of God’s creation beyond the bounds of Israel.

Aren’t we like that sometimes? We seem to be apathetic to the fate of souls beyond our faith family?

God’s question captures the very intention of the book.

The issue is that of grace—grace and mercy.

Just as Jonah’s provision was the shade of the vine he did not deserve, the Ninevites’ provision was a deliverance they did not deserve based upon a repentance they did not fully understand.

God wants all of his creation to be saved and not destroyed. If they are willing to accept the finished work of Christ on their behalf, he will work to save them.

Can a person ever rightly resent the grace of God shown to another?

As G. V. Smith has said:

“God will (and does) act in justice against sin, but His great love for every person in the world causes Him to wait patiently, to give graciously, to forgive mercifully, and to accept compassionately even the most unworthy people in the world. To experience the grace of God and not be willing to tell others of His compassion is a tragedy all must avoid. Messengers of God can neither limit the grace of God nor control its distribution, but they can prevent God’s grace from having an effect on their own lives.”

God's challenge to Jonah in verse 10 highlights the importance of extending mercy to others.

As Christians, we are called to extend the same mercy that we have received from God to others.

We must remember that we have no right to withhold mercy and grace from others and that when we choose to extend grace, we are reflecting the heart of God.

Let us be people who extend mercy and grace to others, imitating the character of God and displaying His love to those around us.

We Are to Show God’s Love to His Creation

Jonah 4:11 NKJV

11 And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?

Some people have said that the end of the Book of Jonah is sudden or doesn't feel like a proper ending.

But actually, the way it ends is done on purpose to make people think more about what they've just read.

It's like when you finish a really good book and you want to talk about it with your friends or family.

The way the Book of Jonah ends is supposed to make people think about what they've learned and how it applies to their own lives.

The book ends with a clear contrast between the ways of God and the ways of Jonah.

One commentator states it well, “It is the choice between gourds or souls.”

The Lord had made His points:

He is gracious toward all nations, toward Gentiles as well as Israelites;

He is sovereign;

He punishes rebellion; and

He wants His own people to obey Him, to be rid of religious sham, and to place no limits on His universal love and grace.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee always had some pithy and down to earth saying. Here’s one of them as he was referring to these verses in Jonah.

I am afraid there are a great many people in the church who are caterpillars. Church members are either pillars or caterpillars; the pillars hold up the church, and the caterpillars just crawl in and out.

There are a lot of people just crawling in and out of the church, waiting for some great wave of emotion, waiting for some feeling to take hold of them—and they have never done anything yet. God says that we are to get busy for Him.

So we look at the book of Jonah, we see that God's mercy is available to all people, and it is our responsibility as believers to extend mercy and compassion to others.

We cannot withhold mercy from others as we have received it ourselves.

Let us take action today and extend mercy and grace to those around us, just as God has extended it to us.

Let us also be mindful of our own hearts and any lack of mercy we may be harboring towards others. As we extend mercy and compassion to those around us, we are reflecting the heart of God and living out His call on our lives.

May we always remember that we serve a God who desires salvation for all of His creation, and may we be willing vessels through which His mercy can flow to others.

Let us go out from this place, ready and willing to extend God’s grace to all those we encounter.