Reluctant and angry

Jonah 4:6 NKJV

And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant.

Strangely, in my New King James Bible only once is the word grateful found! It's in the verse above.

Jonah, the reluctant and angry evangelist to the Ninevites wasn't grateful that they repented after he preached to them. No, rather he wanted them punished for their cruelty..

Actually, quite naturally, he abhorred their vicious treatment of the people they conquered - often leading them captive with giant fish hooks in their mouths or skinning them alive.

Yet, the Lord, in His mercy wanted them to repent and change their ways.

How do we feel when God chooses the ones we least think are worthy of salvation?

Are we a bit angry and dubious about it?

What about Russell Brand, Tommy Robinson and the rough and ready folk turning to Jesus in droves right now?

Out of the blue my neighbour asked me to order the Message Bible for her two kids in their late 20's and early 30's. They'd suddenly started to go to church and each wanted a Bible for Christmas.

Certainly the son isn't someone you'd expect to turn to Jesus - his talk being liberally scattered with expletives! Yet his heart is seeking something real that he sees in Jesus.

Let us never be reluctant and angry when anyone turns to Jesus - rather let us rejoice with the angels.

What did Jonah do after preaching to the Ninevites? He went outside the city and watched in anger.

Jonah 4:1-5 NKJV

But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. [2] So he prayed to the LORD, and said, "Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. [3] Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!" [4] Then the LORD said, "Is it right for you to be angry?" [5] So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.

He wanted punishment and retribution on those people.

He was blind to his own pride and self righteousness. He'd received great mercy and miraculous deliverance from the Lord but didn't want others to share in it.

I remember a chaplain to the Nazi captives during the Nuremberg trials sharing how hard it was to share the Gospel with those who chose to repent before being executed. He was a bit like Jonah - angry at the atrocities.

We make the mistake of grading sin - thinking God overlooks some and not others.

The Cross exposes the heart of sin with the self righteous ones planning Jesus' trial and execution because He turned their values upside down.

Let us be glad that "unlikely" people are turning to Jesus and want to put Christ back into Christmas - no matter what they've done in the past.

Don't let us sit there angrily, like Jonah, only being grateful for our own salvation!

Selah