The Pouting Prophet

Look at what gets posted online: watch this liberal get crushed by this gun toting housewife. See this conservative look like an idiot when she brings up health care.

Oh and we like and share the heck out of anything that makes the other side look bad. And we hate it when something goes right for someone who sees the world differently.

The sad thing is the exact same thing happens among those who call themselves Christians. If I am honest, I can start to root against others if I am not careful.

How about you? Are you just a giant bundle of love and compassion for all people? Or are there some blind spots in your heart for certain folks?

Well, the prophet Jonah had a massive blind spot when it came to love for his enemies. But God loves Jonah and wants to change his heart, so let’s see what happens.

Jonah was a prophet that God called to go and preach a message of destruction to the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire. The Assyrians were notoriously bad people who had oppressed the people of God and Jonah despised them. So, Jonah ran. But he couldn’t outrun God. God sent storms and a giant fish to convince Jonah to obey. Jonah finally did obey and preached to the city. Afterward, the entire city broke out in revival and the people repented of their evils ways and God spared them from the destruction. Which brings us to our text today.Jonah was a prophet that God called to go and preach a message of destruction to the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire. The Assyrians were notoriously bad people who had oppressed the people of God and Jonah despised them. So, Jonah ran. But he couldn’t outrun God. God sent storms and a giant fish to convince Jonah to obey. Jonah finally did obey and preached to the city. Afterward, the entire city broke out in revival and the people repented of their evils ways and God spared them from the destruction. Which brings us to our text today.

Jonah Pouts

Jonah’s anger

Jonah 4:1 ESV

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.

Jonah 4.1

Jonah is furious. Literally the Hebrew says that the whole thing was “exceedingly evil to Jonah.”

What was evil to Jonah? That God would show mercy to his enemies. Let that sink in for a moment. Jonah literally hated God’s mercy toward the Ninevites. Why?

As a prophet of God, Jonah was aware of God’s plan to use the Assyrians to judge the people of Israel.

Jonah is mad, because he was just used by God to help save the people who would destroy his people.

It would be like if you were a time traveler who went back to the year 1890, and you saw a baby carriage rolling out of control towards a cliff. You are able to stop it in time and return the baby to his mother, only to find out that the baby’s name is Adolf Hitler.

So you can kind of understand Jonah’s anger. But wait, it gets worse.

The Reason Jonah Ran

Jonah 4:2 ESV

And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.

Jonah 4.2

Jonah starts a shouting match with God. Jonah reveals why he ran.

Jonah knew God’s character. He is loving. He is gracious. He is merciful. He loves to relent from disaster.

This is why God sent Jesus to save us. It was the natural extension of his gracious character. It’s who he is. He loves to save people.

But listen to how messed up Jonah is. Jonah knew God’s character, so he could read between the lines when God sent him to preach judgment to Nineveh. The only reason God could possibly send a message of judgment would be because he wanted to warn the people.

Jonah wanted to be sure that they would not get that warning. He wanted to be sure that God’s justice would fall on his enemies. He ran because he did not want his enemies to experience the grace of God.

Oh but it gets even worse.

Jonah longs for death

Jonah 4:3–4 ESV

Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

Jonah is so upset with God for saving the Ninevites, that he would rather die than live in a world where his enemies experience God’s mercy.

Notice the irony here. Jonah two chapters ago was crying out for God to save him from death by drowning. Now he is saying he wished he was dead!

And God asks him, “Oh you got a right to be angry buddy?”

I picture God like a parent standing over his kid throwing a temper tantrum.

I was cooking eggs and threw a fit and made a mess, and Jessica asked me, “Do you feel better?” That’s kind of what God is doing with Jonah.

Jonah watches

Jonah 4:5 ESV

Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city.

Jonah 4:

So Jonah storms off out of the city. He’s literally having to step around and over people on their faces before God. He goes out to the east and sets up camp.

What’s he doing? He is waiting to see if God is still going to judge the city. He’s holding out for God to send his wrath anyway!

Jonah sets up camp to see whether God will still send judgment on the city.

What is God going to do with this prophet? Well, God loves Jonah. He wants to change Jonah’s perspective on his enemies. So he sends Jonah an object lesson.

God appoints an object lesson

God gives Jonah a plant for shade

Jonah 4:6 ESV

Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant.

Jonah 4:6

God grows a plant to shade Jonah

The same language is used here of God appointing the fish earlier. It is yet another reminder that God is sovereign.

There is a play on words here as well. The text says that God appointed the plant to save him from his discomfort. Literally, it says to save him from his evil. Kind of carry’s a double meaning. While the plant certainly eased his discomfort, God would use it to do something better.

Jonah is happy to have the shade

This is the only time in the book that we see Jonah happy. And he is ridiculously happy. He is overjoyed because of this plant. Kind of messed up that this vine can make Jonah happier than an entire population repenting.

God takes the plant away

Jonah 4:7–8 ESV

But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

Jonah 4:7

God destroys the plant and exposes Jonah to the elements

Again, the sovereign God appoints a worm that kills the plant so that it is worthless to provide shade.

At God’s appointing the sun comes up and beats on his head and the hot wind blisters his face.

Jonah is miserable

He again wishes he was dead.

Jonah pouts some more

Jonah 4:9 ESV

But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.”

Jonah 4:

God asks if Jonah is right to be upset about the loss of the plant

Jonah says that he is, and that he is mad enough to die.

God rebukes Jonah

Jonah pities a plant

Jonah 4:10 ESV

And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night.

Jonah pities a plant for which is had zero part in bringing it about. He did not plant it. He did not make it grow.

Jonah also pities a plant that was so insignificant that it only had one day of life.

Jonah’s emotional connection to the plant is inappropriate. But even so, if Jonah thinks he has a right to be upset about the destruction of this temporary plant, what about God?

God pities a people

Jonah 4:11 ESV

And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

But God pities a people.

Unlike Jonah and his plant, God did create this people.

Unlike Jonah and his single plant, this is a city of 120,000 people made in the image of God. They are of infinite more value than a plant. Even if the people weren’t a factor, surely Jonah can understand that cattle are more significant than a plant.

So if that is the case, why wouldn’t God be willing to pity this city if Jonah feels the way he does about this plant?

God is rebuking Jonah for having too small a heart. Jonah was ok with God showing him grace. He wasn’t ok with God showing grace to his enemies. But that is exactly what God does. He gives grace to his enemies. And this is where Jonah is nothing like him. See, God would intervene himself one day on behalf of his enemies, acting in just the opposite way did. How? By becoming a human being like us. Consider the contrast between Jonah the pouting prophet and Jesus the Great Prophet.

Even if

No where is God’s heart for those far from him more apparent than at the cross of Christ

Jonah turned his face from the city to run from God’s will to redeem his enemies.

Jesus set his face like flint to the city to obey God’s will to redeem his enemies.

Jonah wanted to die because he hated his enemies

Jesus wanted to die because he loved his enemies

Jonah went outside the city hoping judgment would fall on his enemies

Jesus went outside the city to so that judgment would fall on him instead of his enemies

Communion

Jesus was sent to save God’s enemies. This is what communion is all about. On the night that he was betrayed, Jesus took bread and gave it to his disciples saying, this is my body. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, he took the cup and gave it to them saying, this is my blood of the covenant. Do this in remembrance of me.

The Lord’s supper reminds us of God’s heart for his enemies. When you eat that bread and drink from that cup you are being reminded that God sent his Son to die for you his enemy.

In a moment, I will dismiss us to take communion. As we do, if you are a follower of Jesus, you might consider how God is leading you to put into action what you have heard today.

Before you get up, ask yourself the following question: who does God have a heart for that you do not?

Is it an entire class or category of people? You may not HATE these people outright the way that Jonah did, but indifference is often a form of hate. If I see a child drowning and I do not jump in to save him, can I claim that I don’t hate him?

For example, there are many today in our culture that cry of injustice and racism, yet so many in the church are unwilling to listen. Why? Because we think that if it is not OUR experience then it is not true. They are lying or exaggerating. Our inability to empathize with those who are different than us comes from the same place in our hearts that the hatred for the Assyrians did for Jonah.

Sometimes our hearts are hard toward those of a different economic class. All people who are poor are lazy. All people who are rich take advantage of others. Our hardness to those different than us show how much like Jonah we truly are.

It might only be certain individuals that you don’t share God’s heart for. Maybe someone has done something wrong that has offended you. Maybe they have treated you horribly.

I guarantee you that there is someone you don’t share God’s heart for.

Now ask yourself this question: what would it look like for you to enlarge your heart for this person or people? It is not enough to merely acknowledge you need to love someone. You must demonstrate it as well. God calls us to love not in word only, but also in deed.

If you are not yet a follower of Jesus, then I would ask that you not take communion tonight. Instead, I would encourage you to take Christ.

You need to understand that like the Ninevites, you are an enemy of God. We all were at one point. And if you choose to not respond to God’s warning of his enemies, then judgment will surely come.

But you need not be an enemy any longer. God sent his Son Jesus to die for his enemies and turn them into his friends. If you would like to know how to become a part of God’s family, talk with me following the service.

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