Devotion based on Week 4 of “The Prophets” – Jonah (WATCH HERE)
Few chapters in the Bible expose the human heart quite like Jonah 4. It’s one thing to run from God’s will; it’s another to be angry when God’s mercy wins. Jonah’s story doesn’t end with the great fish or the great city. It ends with a great confrontation between God’s compassion and Jonah’s pride.
After Jonah finally preached in Nineveh, the city repented. One would think that Jonah would be celebrating! Instead, Jonah “was greatly displeased and became angry” (v. 1). Imagine that: a prophet furious that his sermon actually worked!
Why? Because Jonah wanted justice on his own terms. Nineveh was Israel’s enemy. Jonah feared that if he warned them, they might repent and God would forgive them. In his mind, grace for Nineveh meant injustice for Israel.
He even admits it: “That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God…” (v. 2). Jonah’s theology was right, but his heart was wrong. He loved God’s mercy for himself, but not for others.
Jonah shows how easily we can twist grace into something self-serving.
We love grace when it rescues us, but we resist it when it reaches whoever “they” are in our world: people who’ve wronged us, those who think differently, those we feel don’t deserve another chance.
Jonah’s prayer in verse 2 sounds like a complaint:
“I knew You are gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love…”
Those words echo God’s self-description in Exodus 34. The very attributes that once saved Jonah in the belly of the fish now offend him when applied to someone else.
Grace feels wonderful when it flows toward us; it can feel scandalous when it flows past us.
But, God doesn’t scold Jonah; He teaches him.
He appoints a plant to grow overnight and shade Jonah from the sun. Jonah is “very happy” about the plant. The next day, God appoints a worm that destroys it, and Jonah becomes angry enough to die.
Then God asks, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” (v. 9). Jonah answers, “It is.”
Through that small illustration, God exposes the contrast: Jonah cared deeply for his comfort but not for people. He grieved a dying plant but not a perishing city.
“You have been concerned about this plant… Should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city?” (v. 10–11).
The book ends with that question. There is no resolution, no recorded repentance from Jonah. The question isn’t just for him; it’s for us.
Centuries later, Jesus would echo the same compassion.
He wept over Jerusalem, the city that would reject Him (Luke 19:41). He prayed for His enemies even as they crucified Him: “Father, forgive them.”
At the cross, we see the full measure of God’s mercy: justice satisfied and grace extended.
Jesus is the greater Jonah:
- Jonah ran from his enemies; Jesus ran toward them.
- Jonah sat outside the city hoping for judgment; Jesus hung outside the city to bear it.
- Jonah wanted wrath to fall; Jesus took wrath upon Himself so mercy could fall.
Jonah 4 asks every believer: Do I celebrate God’s compassion, or do I control who deserves it?
If God’s grace offends our sense of fairness, we’ve misunderstood grace.
True grace transforms our hearts to mirror God’s heart: slow to anger, rich in mercy, eager to forgive.
It softens us toward the Ninevehs in our lives: the people who frustrate us, oppose us, or seem beyond hope.
When we remember how much mercy we’ve received, it becomes impossible to withhold it from others.
God’s question still stands: Should I not be concerned for that great city?
The answer—written across the cross—is yes. God’s compassion is greater than our comfort, and His mercy reaches further than we think.
Apply: Where do you want to control who receives God’s grace? Repent! Rejoice God’s grace is for you! Rejoice God’s grace is for all the Ninevites in your life!
Prayer: Lord, forgive me for loving grace for myself more than for others. Teach me to rejoice when Your mercy triumphs, even when it surprises me. Shape my heart to reflect Yours—gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in love. Amen.