Jonah 4: A Little Bit of Reckoning
A couple of months ago, I had the longest of long days. On my way to work there was a wreck that delayed me an extra hour on my already hour-long commute up I-75. When I got to the office, I discovered that the power and water were off for repairs, so I couldn’t use the restroom despite a rather pressing need. And, because the power was out, the elevators were not working, so I got to hike four flights of stairs, in a suit, in the heat with no air conditioning. By the time all of these nuisances were completed, I was angry, irritated, and bitterly complaining, “Why can’t things just WORK!?” I couldn’t help but think, “You know, this would be a lot better if I were just in control of it.”
With that mindset before us we see Jonah in this final chapter. He is still just as angry as before, just as bitter, and with a heart still attuned to his own desire for power and control as opposed to being yielded to God. God simply asks him here, “Why are you so angry over something that does not belong to you, isn’t your issue to fix, and over which you have no control?” We turn our attention to this idea of Jonah’s need for control, but we also have to consider perhaps Jonah has other problems in his life including mental health struggles that impair his ability to be yielded as God asks.
Jonah, quite clearly, has issues with control and power, and the unfortunate part is that those issues lead him to develop a bitter anger towards both Nineveh and God. We read in verse 2 that Jonah understands a few things about God’s nature. He notes that God is merciful, compassionate, slow to get angry, and filled with unfailing love. You would think this would be a comfort to Jonah, but instead he just gets angrier. He even goes so far as to say he’d rather face death than see Nineveh survive. In verse 3 he shouts, “Just kill me now, Lord!” He then goes on to assert he’d rather die if Nineveh is not destroyed.
Jonah, here, is furious to the point of being sick from the heat and emotion. Jonah is even so furious that he even contemplates harm to himself. He is so (as my grandmother would say) “worked up into a tizzy” that he’s almost ludicrous at a tantrum level of response. The question, though, is why? Why is Jonah so upset? Why is he holding on to all of this? What is that accomplishing? It’s a question for Jonah as well as for us when we become consumed in a similar manner. When we lack control over a situation, it’s a time for quiet and resolute trust in God and not a time to melt down to the point of no return.
We see the unfortunate result. Jonah never stopped fighting God long enough to allow that grace and trust in his own life. Some have argued, and I think it may be quite plausible, that Jonah is called by God despite his own mental health issues. Jonah’s behaviors are very similar to Borderline Personality Disorder. This is usually marked by fits of anger, depression, anxiety, impulsive behavior, recklessness, self-harm, instability, an intensity of mood that does not match the situation, and constant feelings of abandonment. Jonah seems to struggle with most, if not all, of these issues and symptoms, so it may be fair to say he struggled with an emotional or personality disorder.
I have often found, in teaching Jonah myself and listening to others, that we are quick to condemn Jonah for his disobedience, his bitterness, his bad behavior. But what if Jonah simply can’t help it? What if it comes from his own inner struggles that he’s unable to overcome on his own? Just because Jonah has struggles in his life including emotional and apparent mental health struggles does not mean he’s a bad person, or unworthy, or unable to be called and empowered by God. Jonah never let God speak to him in a meaningful way. Jonah never listened so that he could truly hear God. He listened only insofar as he got more fuel for his spat with God, not to actually HEAR God. Maybe much of Jonah’s problems couldn’t be helped, and maybe some of it was willful.
Regardless, what is true, is that Jonah is aware of his own actions and shortcomings. He says to God that he avoided Nineveh because he knew God would likely spare Nineveh. He was angry because he knew Nineveh would be redeemed, a thought that Jonah could not process. But what is also true is that God was constantly present in Jonah’s life. He never destroyed or abandoned Jonah. God continued to work in and through Jonah as God’s prophet. God doesn’t necessarily need your perfection—God needs your surrender, your willingness to be yielded, and your trust.
But finally, we see a warning. When Jonah desired control in all things and was no longer able to listen to God, it left him unable to see the good in himself or in others, specifically Nineveh. We read how God sends a plant that covers and shelters Jonah from the heat. Then God also sends a worm to eat through and destroy it. There’s no great symbolism in this. God is simply using the plant to teach Jonah a lesson.
Jonah falls right into the teaching trap God has set for him. Jonah loses his mind over the loss of the plant, and I mean loses it, even claiming it is right for him to be angry enough to die for the plant. And here, just like with the fish, God teaches Jonah a lesson. Jonah is so filled with righteous anger and passion over the loss of the plant that he is ready to die for it, and yet, he has no passion (or even compassion) for Nineveh. Jonah did not make the plant, did not destroy it, and frankly, had no control over it whatsoever. Yet still he is filled with this strange sense of defensiveness for this plant.
God created all of the people of Nineveh—120,000 people—is the Lord of them all, loves them, and desires to have a right relationship with them. They all belong to God. If Jonah finds righteous passion over a plant that’s not even his, shouldn’t God find the same level of passion for God’s own people? Jonah had become so blinded by his own inner struggles and need for control that he lost sight of Godly priorities and the grace and compassion which lives and moves in and through God.
Jonah, for us, is an example that it is okay to not be okay, but we must be mindful of when we move from imperfect to in trouble. Sometimes, in our lives, things will be out of whack. Spiritually, we may be restless, untrusting, or worried about or relationship to God and others. Physically, we may be suffering with an illness, or our loved ones might be in need of healing. Mentally, we may have ongoing struggles which require us to be ever cognizant and aware of when we need a greater amount of help. In many ways we struggle and move between okay and in need of healing in our lives.
None of this, however, robs us of our value or worth in God’s eyes. God still loved Jonah despite his faults. God sent a fish, a plant, and even spoke directly to Jonah to preserve that relationship. Despite Jonah’s difficulty as a prophet and a human, God never dealt cruelly or harshly with him. God was gentle and loving with Jonah, just as God was merciful towards Nineveh. One thing in our lives does not change. We can trust God. We can follow God all the way wherever God is leading. On the journey, if you need help, don’t be ashamed to ask for help. If you are able to help, provide help without judgment. God’s love will always be with you, and God will never stop leading, guiding, and working through you and me. And above all, God will always, always be present with us, for nothing separates us from God’s love for us.
Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/780562266080083