I have kind of a soft spot for Jonah. He’s called by God but reluctant to do what God asks. And, the thing God has asked him to do is hard….he’d be going to his enemy, and they’re known for their unrighteous behaviors. I’m sure he’s sure they will not take kindly to him telling him that they haven’t been acting with justice, or kindness, or following God’s law. You know...the way people normally respond when someone tells them how awful they’ve been.
Right? Agreeable. Humble. Repentant. Ready to change.
Jonah knew what was before him and so he turned tail and ran. His idea was as far from Tarshish as possible.
I told you the summary before Dan read our scripture….he ran, got on the boat, there was a storm, there was a big fish, and then he was on the shore and God said again go to Tarshish.
So he went. And the people were kind of amazing. They weren’t argumentative, combative, defensive, hostile, self-justifying. They heard that they had been ungodly and unrighteous and they repented.
Can you imagine that happening today? God tells you to go share the good news with your enemy….the one standing on the opposite side of this election from you….and tell them how sinful they’ve been.
Imagine if God said--go to them and tell them how much I hate their behavior and invite them back to righteousness. How many of you are ready to go?
Most of us aren’t--we’re headed out the door--running in the opposite direction, unless, of course, we go online.
But God was clear--the people of Ninevah needed to h4ear directly that there was a problem and they needed to know specifically that there was a solution. And here’s the really powerful part--God gave Jonah the words he needed so that the people of Ninevah could hear him. God gave Jonah the words he needed. I don’t think he went in and said, “Hey, you bunch of jerks!” or “hey hypocrites!” Jonah had a prophetic, truth-telling, a word that the people could hear and receive and be changed by.
Jonah spoke in a way that the Holy Spirit moved and those people were ready to be different. That’s really powerful. It’s profound. Maybe those 3 days in the darkness gave Jonah an intense time of prayer to listen to God and know what needed to be shared. Maybe those three days were Jonah’s chance to hear the words, “it’s not about you, it’s about me.” We don’t know what happened. We don’t even know what he said--only that it worked.
God changed the people, using an ordinary, every day, running-scared man to bring about a major change in an entire city.
And when God witness that change, God’s heart was softened. No more punishment--despite what they had done. Punishment wasn’t going to fix that. But repentance could. And so God forgave them. God settled the debt. God made it right.
And ironically, or maybe just by human nature, Jonah was not ok with it. Those people were awful, they were sinful, unjust, unkind, ungodly, and they deserved God’s wrath. And when they didn’t get it-it wasn’t right! It wasn’t fair! It wasn’t just!
Jonah starts fuming. How could you? You saw what they were doing. You know how atrocious it was. You were prepared to bring them to their knees! And yet, they go off and apologize, and that’s good enough1?! What is that?! I thought you wanted justice! I thought you wanted righteousness. And instead, you picked grace! Now, hear what Jonah says: “I knew you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love!” His words are just dripping with venom: “I knew you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love!”
But...isn’t that the God we wanted? Isn’t that the God we like? Gracious, compassionate, and abounding in love. That’s our God. The kicker is, that’s also their God. Our God of grace is also their God of grace. Our God of compassion is also their God of compassion. Our God of love is also their God of love. That’s where it gets uncomfortable for us--when the grace we crave for ourselves is also offered to them.
Think about it. You know who you think has been in the wrong lately. You’ve been trying to make sense lately. You’ve been trying to make sense of their so-called “values”. You’ve been wondering when God is going to show up and teach them a lesson. When God is going to rain down righteousness. Right?
Now, imagine God calls you to go--go tell them how wrong they’ve been--in person, face to face, not in a post, or a tweet, or a comment, not with the virtual veil, but in person, Go and name their sins. Half of you are like--let’s go!!! I’ll tell them what they’ve been doing wrong! And, if they refuse to repent, God is going to punish them!! (some of us maybe even giggle at that--little cheer, they’re going to get what they deserve! yay!)
So you’re ready. You get to tell them what’s coming to them. And off you go. So you tell them, but before you mic drop, God nudges you, don’t forget the good news. Yes, they’ve been in the wrong, but greater than that there is a God who will show them a better way. A way of grace, compassion, and love. You throw it in there. Of course, you believe it, but you would have been very pleased to simply name their sins and call for GOd’s judgment and walk away. But, you guess you have to share the good news too, after all, you know God’s not letting you leave without it.
And the inconceivable happens--they repent. They acknowledge their sins, name their wrongs, and choose the better way. We’d be dumbstruck right? Baffled. A little bit doubtful. But there it is. The enemy, your enemy, ok, you don’t have to be so harsh--those people on the other side could be compelled by the truth of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
And God forgives them.
How would you feel? Really. I mean, intellectually, you’re thrilled, it makes sense, yay for people choosing righteousness. But emotionally, it’s a hard pill to swallow. They were awful. They deserved some judgment and suffering. And now they get grace. What do we even do with that?
If we’re anything like Jonah, we’re wrecked by it. He said, “Take my life. It’s better for me to die than to live.” From a distance, he sounds melodramatic. But up close--it’s real. God forgives those people? God shows compassion for those people? God loves those people? They didn’t right their wrongs. But there they are soaking in God’s grace!
It’s a tricky one sometimes--reconciling the God of grace that we believe in with the God of grace who doesn’t just love our enemies but also forgives them.
Maybe Jonah wasn’t so silly to run after all. Maybe he understood the power of what could happen if he proclaimed what God told him. Maybe we struggle too--we struggle to narrow the gap between the God we know and the depth of grace that’s offered to those who do so much wrong. Maybe our days of waiting are so we could pray and listen so we’d have the words, a message that could be heard and received. Maybe.
May it be so.