Jonah – a Man With a Message Намуна

A Pouting Prophet

Shouldn’t Jonah be happy too? The people had believed the words of God and repented. 

God was happy. The Ninevites were happy. But Jonah was angry!

Jonah was mad that had God changed his mind and that he had been merciful to the repentant Ninevites. He complained to God about how good he is! 

“I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”

Then, he went and sat outside Ninevah, pouting and watching to see if God would change his mind again. He watched to see if God would send destruction to the enemy Ninevites.

What was God to do with his pouting prophet? He decided to help Jonah learn yet another lesson. He didn’t send a fish. This time he sent a vine to grow overnight and shade Jonah’s head in the hot sun.

Jonah was thankful for the vine, but then God sent a worm to eat the vine and it died the next day. He grew faint in the blazing heat and became angry that the vine had perished.

God spoke once more to Jonah. “You’re concerned about this vine, even though you did not tend it or make it grow. How much more should I be concerned about this great city that was perishing because they did not know me?”

That’s where Jonah’s story ends. The Bible never tells us if Jonah repented for his hardheartedness or not. We do know that Jesus used Jonah’s story almost 800 years later when speaking to hardhearted religious leaders.