Perhaps Jonah is the only prophet in the Old Testament who succeeds completely with a one-line message and sees an entire city repent—yet he is furious about it. Jonah suspected God would be merciful to Nineveh, and he didn’t want that. In Jonah 4:2, he says, “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God… that is why I fled.” We might think the lengths Jonah went to were pretty extreme! What did Jonah have against the people of Nineveh?
As we have been learning and implementing the principles of Building a Discipling Culture, we talk about identifying
our People of Peace—those people in whom God is already at work, with whom we have a natural relationship, and who are spiritually open. But what if our People of Peace aren’t always the people we expect? Or, more uncomfortably, what if they are people we really don’t want to see experience the blessing of a relationship with God? Who is ‘Nineveh’ to you?
Maybe it is the coworker whose politics or lifestyle you’ve written off. Maybe it is the family member who has hurt you, whom you’d rather avoid. Maybe it is someone from a different faith background whom you’ve quietly assumed is a lost cause. Or perhaps there is simply someone in your life who you’ve decided is not really who this message is for.
Even in his reluctance, Jonah eventually goes to Nineveh. He preaches God’s message. The people respond. The city repents. But his heart never seems to catch up with his actions. He isn’t joyful at what has happened or praising God for his power. Instead, after Nineveh repents, we find Jonah sitting outside the city, still hoping God might destroy it (4:5).
Isn’t this a different picture of obedience? Perhaps this raises an important question: Do we have to feel warm towards someone before we can faithfully share Jesus with them?
Sometimes obedience comes before our feelings catch up. We can choose to start the conversation, ask the question, invite someone for coffee, tell someone about Jesus, or simply make ourselves available—even when our hearts aren’t yet where they should be.
But Jonah also reminds us that obedience isn’t the end goal. God doesn’t simply want to make us people who reach out to our ‘People of Peace’ because we have to. He wants to form us into people whose hearts increasingly reflect his own. At the end of Jonah, God asks, “Should I not have concern for that great city?” (4:11). The question is left unanswered. Perhaps because it is a question for us too. Should God not have concern for your family member, your coworker, or even your foe?
The invitation to be a follower of Jesus is not just about sharing the right punchline, but about being transformed in the depths of our hearts to have God’s concern for all people—that they might come to salvation in Christ. Because the people we would rather skip may be precisely the people God is inviting us to reach.
Ashleigh
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