Choosing Trust Over Cynicism: Reading Through Jonahنموونە

The False Shelter of Cynicism

Most believers who struggle with cynicism were once wrapped in wonder, fascinated by the Word of God, and eager to know more. We were treasure hunters living off the ecstasy of finding nuggets buried in the Scriptures. Until the world let us down by not being safe enough to hold our wonder. None of us can walk through life unscathed by events that can birth cynicism in our hearts. And somewhere along the way, we realize disappointment with God feels much like disappointment without God.

It’s different but strangely the same.

After Jonah runs from God and finds himself in the belly of the fish, he decides to choose obedience. The fish vomits him out, and Jonah makes the three-­day trek to Nineveh. When he arrives, he tells the Ninevites to turn from their evil ways and back to God before they are destroyed. The warning reaches the king, and he proclaims a fast and responds to the Voice of the Lord. God sees their repentance, shows Nineveh compassion, and does not bring the destruction He threatened. You might assume the story ends there, and that Jonah rejoices in the fact that these people are restored. You would think that as a prophet, a man devoted to declaring messages that provoke a response, he would find himself praising God for their swift repentance. But Jonah seethes at this display of compassion. “To Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry” (Jonah 4:1, NIV).

When we case our hearts with the armor of cynicism, we find ourselves observing what is beautiful and calling it wrong. What we once viewed with eyes filled with wonder we now observe with suspicion. We curse the things of God that once delighted us. Jonah’s anger is built on his belief that he knows better than God. He’s called to proclaim the Word of the Lord, but he takes it upon himself to decide who is worthy or unworthy of receiving mercy.

Jonah then confesses why he ran. It wasn’t because he didn’t feel like going to Nineveh. It wasn’t because he was afraid the people of Nineveh would disregard his warning. Jonah ran because he was afraid God would respond according to His Character and not according to Jonah’s contempt. Jonah ran because he knew God would be “gracious and compassionate . . . slow to anger and abounding in love” (v. 2, NIV) to them. He knew God would be God to those people.

So God asks Jonah a question: “Is it right for you to be angry?” (v. 4). We each must reckon with this question as well. Are we boiling with rage because of God’s Righteousness or because of our self-­righteousness?

Jonah doesn’t respond and instead prepares a shelter for himself, on the east side of the city, to watch what would happen to Nineveh. He, like a cynic, is consumed with peering into and passing judgment on the lives of others. His suspicion overcomes his understanding of what he knows to be true of God—­that He cannot operate outside of His Character. God had made it clear that He would relent and not bring destruction. But Jonah isn’t convinced. His heart is so distanced from God’s true nature that he’s hoping for the worst. He has become so riddled with contempt that he prefers to be a spectator of judgment rather than a participant of Grace.

It’s easy to operate as a modern-­day Jonah. We scroll on our phones as spectators. We watch with no intention of getting into the thick of it all. We consume content made by critics and wonder why we’re more enraged than empowered.

As Jonah sits on the hill, simmering and waiting for God to destroy Nineveh, the Lord makes a leafy plant sprout up from the ground. The shelter Jonah has made for himself is clearly not enough, and this plant provided by the Lord eases Jonah’s discomfort in the heat of the sun. But the next day, God sends a worm to eat the plant until it withers. Then He sends a scorching hot wind, and Jonah, now exposed, grows so faint that he begs God to let him die. In Jonah 4:9, God asks Jonah the same question: “Do you have a right to be angry?” (NABRE).

Jonah replies with a passionate yes.

He tells God that his anger concerning the plant is so righteous that it consumes him to the point of desiring death. Quite dramatic. And yet, God remains with Jonah and gently corrects the errant prophet, addressing the truth behind his rage:

"But the Lord said, 'You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—­and also many animals?'" (vv. 10–11, NIV).

The sinister nature of cynicism is that it elevates the plant that provides personal shelter above the person who is just as in need of shelter as we are. A heart hardened by cynicism doesn’t see an image bearer as they spout off criticism. They are so blinded by their contempt that people are never more important to them than a point to be made or a suspicion to be proven. Should God not concern Himself with a people more than Jonah concerned himself with the plant? When we navigate through this world more skeptical than hopeful, we strip ourselves of the ability to see people as worthy recipients of mercy on the merit of Christ alone. We consider people too far gone, while God tries to show us the span of His reach.

Today, try to consider things from God’s perspective. What good is God trying to do through you that can’t be done if you are choosing cynicism over trust? What compassion and kindness can you show yourself and others today to open your heart to trust?