A trip out of town, a nasty stomach virus, a couple of minor injuries, life... It is amazing how quickly and thoroughly I fall behind. On everything. This post is from February 3! I will do my best to catch up this week.
I think this is the final sermon on Jonah. I am comforted that Jonah is human - petulant, pouting, longing for God to prove him right. He has decided that the Ninevites deserve destruction and it's a safe bet that even while he was doing God's bidding, Jonah was inwardly hoping the Ninevites, his enemy, would not listen to him. Unfortunately they took everything he said to heart. And then God does spare them! When Jonah goes out of town and plops himself down for a good, long pout, God creates a plant and kills it to show Jonah that he is in charge, not Jonah and God doesn't have to explain anything to Jonah. I get the message, God is generous beyond our understanding, and he wants the best for the Ninevites of the world as much as for His recalcitrant Jonahs. We don't get to decide when or where or how generous God will be.
One thing that bothers me about this story, though, is what happens to Jonah AFTER he does the work that God gave him? Does he just sit outside of town pouting for the rest of his life? Does his stubborn, unrelenting petulance make him unable to accept God's grace, putting him in the position in which he hoped to find the Ninevites? {Sigh} Or is it simply another mystery to be embraced?
