The Pilgrim Path---Jonah 4: 9 – 11 (2—3—23)

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

“…SHOULD I NOT PITY NINEVEH?”

The Book of Jonah ends without an end to Jonah’s anger or ingratitude. If anyone had received mercy---he had. A recipient of God’s grace---who was graceless. The Holy Spirit has Jonah “record” this message about himself. It could not have been easy. Even people who have been dazzled by the wonder of God’s love---can become awful people to be around. Jonah was so wrapped up in Jonah---nothing else mattered…

From Sinclair Ferguson: The truth was that Jonah seemed to care more about plants than about people…Do we care more about the items in our gardens, the produce of our fields, or perhaps the contents of our garage, or home, than we do about our fellow men and women and the spread of the gospel to them? Do we care more, in the last analysis, about our own comforts and plans than about the evangelism of the world in our time?

From Charles Haddon Spurgeon: …God still has many unwise children. You can easily find one if you look in the right place---I mean, in a mirror. We are all foolish at times, and it should be remembered that although Jonah was foolish and wrong in certain respects, there is this redeeming trait in his character---we might never have known the story of his folly if he had not written it himself. It shows what a truehearted man the prophet was, that he unveiled his real character in this book…

“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3: 3

Grace & Peace in Jesus, the Only Redeemer of broken and wretched souls, Pastor Jason