Contrasts
As we come to the final chapter of Jonah we find a parable within the prose narrative. We see Jonah's anger for the Ninevites that stands in contrast with his joy for himself in chapter 2. He has a very different reaction to his own deliverance from that of the Ninevites. There is also a contrast between God and Jonah's reactions to Nineveh's salvation.
The first thing to note is that after God has turned away from his anger against the Ninevites, Jonah becomes angry. By the way, there are some interesting word plays going on here. The word used for angry also means hot, and heat is to play a significant part in this chapter's parable. God provides the cooling shade of the vine in verse 6 but then he allows the hot sun to beat down on Jonah in verse 8. Perhaps we can see here something of the difference between what constitutes righteous, justifiable anger and what does not. The shade of the vine is not just literal but a spiritual picture of God providing a miraculous cover for Jonah's sinful attitude, for the word discomfort (v6) also means wickedness. Whereas Jonah's own attempt at building a cover for himself is rather ineffective, the Lord's provision is very generous and cheers up our miserable prophet no end (v5-6). Jonah must learn the delight that the reprieved Ninevites feel. Then God lets the vine wither and a hot sirocco wind remind him how uncomfortable it is to be under God's wrath, be you an Assyrian or a prophet! In verse 10 the Lord points out the confusion and inconsistency between Jonah's attitude to the welfare of a plant and to a city full of people.
Who's Calling the Shots?
In his prayer in v2-3 Jonah reminds himself of God's gracious character but in effect asks the Lord, "Why did you have to be so compassionate to the Ninevites? They're not your chosen people!" Jonah seems to be critical of the divine attributes he quotes from Exodus 34 when they are directed to Israel's enemies, and he is questioning God’s sovereignty and right to save whoever he wants!
T. Desmond Alexander says, “Jonah typifies those who see the divine attributes of justice and mercy as functioning for their own convenience; mercy for themselves, but justice for their enemies.”
Doug Goins says Jonah is making an idol of himself. "He is more committed to his own concepts of God and how God should act than he is to God himself. All of his protestations of love for the Lord and for his nation in his prayer in chapter 2 were like a projection of his love for himself. He is still clinging to his prejudice that God is the exclusive possession of Israel; that God is his own personal God. "
Don't Be a Control Freak!
A few years ago our then pastor, Paul Goodliff, held a special teaching session about evangelism. Specifically, he spoke of the cultural and philosophical ideas of history that have infused society leading up to the post-modernism of today. He challenged us as a church to think how we might best communicate the gospel and build bridges into such a modern society. To my astonishment, when he opened the subject up to the floor, the majority of Christians there who spoke seemed to be much more interested in knocking down the bridges and retreating into a 'safe haven' of some kind. They were far more interested in survival and self preservation than they were in mission and sacrificial service to 'outsiders' who might upset their comfy routine.
We in the church, like Jonah and the Israelites, can be too jealous of God, to the exclusion of the non-believer. Our natural reaction is to keep him to ourselves. Yet, we must learn to build those bridges and share our faith by spreading the gospel to everyone. Do you recall the sower in Jesus' parable who spread the seed on all types of ground? He wasn't selective. We must not distinguish between people we are prepared to serve and those we are not, but have God's heart that longs to reach out to people irrespective of circumstance. We must allow God to work through us and not dictate to God what work he should do - we are not in control of the Lord! In that same teaching session as the parable of the sower Jesus makes a promise and issues a warning to us. he tells us that the gospel is meant to be broadcast and not be kept secret. Then he says,
"Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." (Mark 4:25)
The person who keeps the gospel to themselves will see their relationship with God wither like the vine in the hot wind, but those who tell it out will find an ever greater blessing in their walk with Jesus. Do you hide the coin of faith given to you, or do you invest it?
How Could You Go and Do That?
In verse 3 Jonah is back to wanting to die again, disgusted that God should have mercy on Israel’s enemies, and thereby he could now be accused of treachery to his own people. He’s done God’s dirty work as he sees it. God may have the glory, but where’s Jonah’s glory? What about Jonah’s reputation? Perhaps we should consider whether we serve God selflessly or selfishly, and if we are prepared to accept the weight of our cross.
Also we might comment that it is God's place to ordain over matters of life and death, and not Jonah's! Isn't this the whole point? Salvation is a matter of grace. We must allow God to be sovereign and be willing workers. If we call him Lord then we cannot say, "No Lord."
A Lesson in Perspective - v6-11
Jonah is now taught a visual lesson about deliverance (mercy and grace) and destruction (judgement). After the trial of water in the storm, he now undergoes one of fire. Both water and fire are signs of deliverance and destruction at various points in the Bible. In Jonah's two situations God offers him a miraculous shelter; first the fish and now the vine.
v6 Deliverance
The phrase ‘to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort’, contains two double meanings: ‘shade’ can mean ‘deliver’, and then ‘discomfort’ can mean ‘distress’ or ‘wickedness’, so we could translate the phrase as either, ‘to shade him from his distress,’ or, ‘to deliver him from his wickedness.’
After his moaning at God, Jonah suddenly becomes happy about the vine. It’s OK when God looks after ‘his own’. That's Jonah’s perspective. Perhaps we should ask ourselves if we are fair-weather Christians, happy in our faith only when it works to our physical comfort. The Nineties put themselves in great discomfort to appease the Lord, fasting and wearing sackcloth! Are we prepared 'to offer our bodies living sacrifices' (Romans 12:1) too? I don't mean that we should wear sackcloth and beat ourselves like the ascetics of the Middle Ages, but simply be prepared to do our part in serving the Lord.
When I developed epilepsy I lost my driving license for two years. My wife would drive me to Bible study and Living Word meetings before babysitting our children, and Rosy, a lady there would drive me home again. This was very inconvenient for both of them, but they did it to serve and glorify Christ. They enabled me to play my part too in serving the Lord at the meetings.
v7 Destruction
Here is a stark reminder that God’s sovereignty is not restricted to acts of compassion. God allows the worm or snake (Satan?) some licence. Jonah gets angry again (v8), this time questioning God’s right to destroy the vine.
Inconsistency
In verses 10 and 11God contrasts Jonah’s inconsistency in thinking, between his attitude to the vine and his attitude to the Ninevites. God is sovereign, having both the right to destroy (v7) and the right to deliver (v2-3). When he asks Jonah whether he has any rights he is rebuking the prophet and prompting him to realise that he has none. Whilst our concerns are rather parochial in nature (Jonah gets upset over the vine), God has the whole of creation to consider. In calling Nineveh a great city, the Hebrew text means that the city is important in God's eyes. Where we look at life from a limited viewpoint, God sees the big picture. We must share God's concerns, trust him, and allow room for him to work to the benefit of all mankind.