29 Jan 2/1/26 Jonah 4 “Curveballs”
2/1/26 Jonah 4 “Curveballs”
I think that there are many ways that we measure other people. We all do it. For instance, when we are faced with adversity, how does the person respond? Are we instantly defeated or do we charge into the fray? How would we measure Jonah? He had some pretty strong feelings about Nineveh. He learned his lesson in previous chapters and then he did what God told him to do. We talked about this last week. I think that we have all been in the shoes of Jonah thus far. I know that I have not always obeyed God. I know that I have spent many years not obeying God. He has a way of bringing us to our knees so that He can bring us up bigger than ever. That is why I asked you the question last week, “What is it that God calling you to do?” You need to be able to answer this so that God can bless you richly. This is what following God is all about. Jesus wants you to obey Him so He can give you all He has. In the first part of this book, I think that Jonah comes off as a pretty good guy. He messes up like we all do and then he turns back to God. But this last chapter is a little different. Now we have a man who is self-centered and pouting. Let’s see if God can turn a pouter into someone good.
Mike Leiter tells of a day he had when he was a little kid. It all started by going to sleep with gum in his mouth and it ended up in his hair. Getting out of bed he tripped on a skateboard just before he dropped his sweater in a sink full of water. He could tell already that it was not going to be a very good day. At breakfast his 2 brothers both found wonderful prizes in their cereal but all he got was more cereal. He thought he might move to Australia. On the way to school, he had to sit in the middle and he got squashed. He said, “If I don’t get next to a window, I will get carsick.” No one answered. This was going to be a horrible day. At school the teacher liked Paul’s picture of a sailboat better than my picture of an invisible castle. At singing time, I was too loud and at counting time I left out 16. I mean, who needs 16? It was getting to be a worse day than I imagined. I found out that I wasn’t Paul’s best friend anymore, but I was only 3rd best friend. I told him, “I hope you sit on a tack.” All my friends got wonderful desserts packed in their lunches and guess whose mother forgot to pack a dessert. It is definitely a very bad day. Then after school we had to go to the dentist and I had a cavity. The dentist told me to come back next week and he would fix it. I told him that I would be in Australia next week.
On the way downstairs from there my foot got caught in the elevator door. While we were waiting for Mom to get the car Tony made me fall in the mud and I cried. Nick called me a crybaby so I punched him as Mom drove up. Mom got after me for being muddy and fighting. You just can’t win when you are having such a rotten day. Then we went to the shoe store and Tony got white ones with blue stripes. Nick got red ones with white stripes. I wanted blue ones with red stripes but they were sold out. I had to get some plain old white ones but you know what? They can’t make me wear them. We picked dad up from the office and I got caught playing with the copy machine, playing with the phone, and I knocked a book off the desk. Dad asked that we not pick him up again. I think I’ll use the phone to call Australia. We had lima beans for dinner and there was kissing on TV. My bath was too hot, a marble went down the drain, and I had to wear my railroad pajamas that I hate. Nick took back a pillow he gave me forever, the Mickey Mouse nightlight burnt out, I bit my tongue and the cat went to sleep with Tony. It had been a horrible day but Mom says some days are like that, even in Australia.
This was the day that Jonah was having or maybe it was several days. Then the Bible tells us that he was angry. He was mad at God. But before we begin, I would like to explain as to why Jonah is so angry. We live in a world where everything is watered down. We have to accept all people regardless of what they do. We have to be inclusive for all which I don’t really believe. Well, these things are pretty much modern-day attributes. In the days of Jonah, people weren’t like that. As a matter of fact, most people were barbarians with the people of Nineveh leading the way. These were the Assyrians. When they conquered a people, if anyone was left alive, they would impale them on stakes outside the city. They would wear their skulls for jewelry. They made totem poles out of extra skulls. When they conquered the northern kingdom of Israel and marched the Israelites back to Assyria, they put fish hook like things through their cheeks, attached a roped and marched them. Plus, they say that the Assyrians were also responsible for the death of Jonah’s parents. It is no wonder that Jonah hated them. For the most part, our view of the ancient people of the area is totally wrong. For the most part, they were all barbarians, worse than we can imagine.
So, Jonah is angry and he tells God all about it. He explains why he is so upset. As a matter of fact, he is so mad that he asks God that he not live anymore. That is pretty drastic. Some might say today that Jonah might have been a little over dramatic. But through all this God listens and finally asks, “Have you any right to be angry?”
Up to this point, Jonah has done many things right. Here is what I mean. He made the initial mistake of not following God but he turned around and did all that God told him. Obviously, he wasn’t happy about it but he did it. Now he is telling God all the reasons for this hatred. Jonah is venting. He is talking to God about it. This is good. This is something we should all do.
And we have all been in this place. We have all been upset with God for this reason or that. It is natural and it is ok. God would much rather have you be upset and talk with Him than you not talk to Him at all. It is ok to be mad at God once in a while. However, I don’t know how many people have told me that they are mad at God for this or that reason so they won’t come to church or have anything to do with God. What a huge mistake! Usually, these people are mad because they didn’t get their own way. They don’t want God’s way because their way is so much better. If their way is so much better, then why are they so miserable? People, we can be as angry at God as much as we want, but we still need to follow Him because His ways are infinitely better than any of our best ways. We aren’t God and I praise the Lord for that.
But Jonah doesn’t quit. He is still thinking he is better than God and this man was a prophet! Notice what he does next. He goes outside the city and sits down to wait. This is the Middle East and it’s hot. He sits down to see what will happen. Basically, he sits down to pout about all that has happened. This is not the right way to behave.
Often times we make fun of children when they pout. We might say ‘Your face will get stuck that way if you keep pouting’ or ‘Your lip is big enough for a bird to land on.’ But what we fail to realize is that we all pout. Most of the time we aren’t quite as obvious as kids but we all do it. When was the last time that you didn’t get your way about something that you thought was important and you sat down and talked to God about it? Most of the time we would rather resort to some accepted so-called grown-up human behavior like drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or having temper tantrums rather than talk to God. Many of our bad behaviors are a result of adult pouting.
Now don’t get down on yourself because we all do it and notice what happens next. Jonah goes out, makes a little shelter and sits. It is hot and windy so God provides a plant of some sort so that Jonah wouldn’t be so hot on the head. I suppose this is where the term hothead came from. Anyway, Jonah loves this.
God does this because He loves Jonah and doesn’t want him to be uncomfortable. God does the same type of things for you. Many times, we get so caught up in ourselves that we don’t notice. God sends people to help us. He works through them so when you turn someone down who tries to help you, you might be turning God down. I know we have this strange ethic where we don’t accept help from anyone but I really don’t know of a more ridiculous custom. Just think about it. How many times have you turned God down because of this?
Anyway, God is working for Jonah. Then God sends a worm that kills the plant overnight. Now Jonah is in a fine mess. He had shade for his head during his little feel sorry for himself session and now it is gone. This must be summer in the Middle East as he tells God that he wants to die again.
But God asks, “do you have any right to be angry about the vine?” Jonah says of course he has the right to be angry. The plant was shade. The plant provided life for him. Now it is gone and he has the right to be angry. Suddenly our crops are gone. Suddenly our home is gone. Suddenly our marriage is gone. Suddenly, well, you just fill in the blank for your own life. And you may think that you have the right to be angry.
Then God goes into the crux of the matter. Why this passage is left out of the lectionary, I’ll never know because it is important. God tells Jonah about the vine. Jonah did not plant it. He did not water or take care of it. Jonah did absolutely nothing to help this plant in any way, shape or form. All Jonah did was reap benefits from what God provided. I think that God is telling Jonah and us how much he loves us through this whole passage.
God has provided us with everything we need for life. It isn’t our job to get angry when things don’t go our way. We should be on our knees trying to figure out if this is God who is thwarting us or the other side. You see, God not only sees you, He sees everyone. He has to provide for you over here and you over there plus all the other people in the world. We know that we will eventually end up in the right place. God knows this also. However, He may see that a need is greater over here than your need. Therefore, you might not get your need. As a matter of fact, you may have something taken away so that others may have. This is how God works. This story shows us that even though you are mad or disobedient or whatever towards God, He still loves you. He loves you all the time even if His ways may seem a little harsh. They are for our own good.
General Colin Powell tells this story when he was a young officer overseas. One day Captain Miller assigned Powell to take his unit to guard an atomic cannon. He loaded his pistol and jumped into a jeep and they headed out. He hadn’t got very far when he realizes that his pistol was missing. In the army it is very serious if you lose your weapon. Powell decided that he was in big trouble so he radioed Captain Miller to report the missing gun. After a moment of silence, Miller told him to carry out the mission.
When they returned to base, Captain Miller called Powell over. ““I’ve got something for you,” he said, handing him the pistol. “Some kids in the village found it where it fell out of your holster.” “Kids found it?” Powell felt a cold chill. “Yeah,” he said. “Luckily they only got off one round before we heard the shot and took the gun away.” The disastrous possibilities left Powell limp. “For God’s sake, son, don’t let that happen again.” And the Captain drove off.
Powell checked the magazine and found it was full. The gun had not been fired. Later he learned that he had dropped it in his tent before he ever got started. Miller had fabricated the scene about the kids to give Powell a good scare. Today the army might hold an investigation, call in lawyers and likely enter a bad mark on his record. But Miller gave him the chance to learn from his mistake. His example of intelligent leadership was not lost on Powell. Nobody ever got to the top without slipping up. When someone stumbles, Powell doesn’t believe in stomping on him. His philosophy is “Pick ’em up, dust ’em off and get ’em moving again.”
People, this is what God does for you. The last thing he wants you to do is sit around wallowing in self-pity. Pouting is not for God. Sometimes the lessons we have to learn are hard lessons but they are necessary for you to grow in the kingdom and help others grow. Just because you are served a curveball in life doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love you. You get the curveball because God loves you. I tell you all the time that God loves you and loves you and loves you. All that He does is for you and you only. Jonah learned his lesson and he went on to be a great prophet. Jesus has a job for you also. Don’t get in your own way as you follow because the life we have in Jesus is the best life that is possible in the universe. Thank you, Jesus, for first loving us. Let’s pray.
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