Jonah 4
by Pastor David Groendyk

I’m sure you know the fairy tale stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and many others. But are you sure you know the whole stories? A lot of those fairy tales end a lot darker than we remember. At the end of Little Red Riding Hood, for example, the girl and her grandmother both get eaten by the wolf and the woodsman/hunter shows up and actually slices the two women out of the wolf’s belly. Probably when we think of that fairy tale we think of a little girl wearing a red cloak saying, “My, what big eyes you have!” to a wolf dressed in a woman’s night gown. We forget (or maybe never knew about) the wolf-slicing part of that tale. Similarly, we perhaps don’t always remember the real ending to the book of Jonah. We remember the big fish, we remember Jonah’s second chance, and we remember Nineveh repents, but that’s not the end of the story. The end is actually a little darker than you remember.

The last we read in Jonah 3, God has relented from the great wrath he had said he would pour out on Nineveh because they had repented and begged for forgiveness. Then the very first sentence in chapter 4 reads quite literally, “But it was evil to Jonah—a great evil! And he burned with anger.” What a contrast! God shows amazing grace, and Jonah calls it wicked. The same way God had charged Nineveh with evil (1:2), so Jonah now charges God with evil. But it gets worse. Jonah finally reveals the real reason that he had originally refused to go to Nineveh in the first place: he knew all along that God would save Nineveh (v. 2). Jonah knew that God was gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and he did everything he could to make sure God couldn’t extend that grace to Nineveh. That should land like a ton of bricks. I’m not exaggerating when I say that every single time I think about this ending to Jonah, it leaves me speechless. How could a prophet of God hate someone so much that he refuses to share good news with them?

This whole next episode with the plant (vv. 5–11) exposes Jonah’s heart. Of the many sin issues that get exposed, we find out that Jonah pities plants more than he pities people, he refuses to be content with the God-ordained circumstances he’s in, he thinks that he rightfully deserves the good gift of the plant, and ultimately his great spiritual selfishness has been exposed. He’s only ever cared about himself. Make no mistake, Jonah had great theology (see 1:9; 2:1–9; 4:2), but the entire concept of grace never penetrated his heart. As correct as our theology might be, as Michael Barrett puts it, if that theology “breeds coldness or selfishness or any other unspiritual reaction then it is wrong.” Nobody is deserving of grace. That’s the whole point! As Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” To put it another way, the answer to the final verse of this book is “yes!” God SHOULD pity wicked sinners, because how else can anyone be saved? Salvation is entirely accomplished by God. If Christ had not died on the cross as our substitute, and if God had not sent his Spirit into our hearts to cause us to believe that good news, we would still be dead in our sins. The book of Jonah reminds the church that we’re all undeserving of salvation, and it teaches us to keep extending God’s grace to others who are also undeserving and also to put to death all forms of selfishness that prevent us from doing so.

So we come back to the whole point of this book: salvation belongs to the Lord (2:9). It’s God’s prerogative to save whomever he chooses, and all those who have received God’s great forgiveness and compassion must also show that same forgiveness and compassion to others. Isn’t the gospel truly such great news? Isn’t God’s grace truly wonderful? Isn’t he an amazing Savior? Praise him, thank him, and tell others about him!

Since we sang the hymn “Wonderful Grace of Jesus” on Sunday night, it’s fresh on my mind. Take some time to sing it (or listen to it), and meditate on God’s grace to you in Jesus.

Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin

How shall my tongue describe it, where shall its praise begin?

Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free

For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me!

 

 Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching a mighty host

By it I have been pardoned, saved to the uttermost

Chains have been torn asunder, giving me liberty

For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me!

 

Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled

By its transforming power, making him God’s dear child

Purchasing peace and heaven for all eternity

And the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me!

 

Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus, deeper than the mighty rolling sea

Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain, all-sufficient grace for even me

Broader than the scope of my transgressions, greater far than all my sin and shame

O magnify the precious name of Jesus, praise his name!