Making a Statement

The book of Jonah ends with Jonah sitting under a dead gourd, pouting, while God explains his sovereignty and kind of asks Jonah where he gets off limiting God's mercy to human specifications. Jonah's not exactly a heroic archetype, huh? The story puzzles me because 1) Jonah is such a curmudgeon in spite of God's mercy and patience, and 2) God uses him even when Jonah strenuously resists being useful.

Apparently Nineveh was saved even though Jonah did everything he could to avoid preaching to the city. In spite of running in the opposite direction from God's commands, being schooled by the whale, his survival and rescue, and Nineveh's miraculous repentance, Jonah refuses to be happy. Just because God didn't do things his way, he decides to sit under his gourd and pout. Then the gourd withers away leaving him face to face with God.

Jonah is just so human! His story makes me laugh and gives me hope. Seeing someone else acting like a spoiled toddler is amusing; recognizing how ridiculous our own tantrums are, not so much. But if God chose to use Jonah to save thousands in spite of his bad attitude and active refusal to participate, there's hope for me when I fail and flail. All the power and purpose belong to God so even when I'm not up to the task, he'll accomplish whatever plans he has for me as well.

Meanwhile, I'll try not to be as big of a lunkhead as Jonah.