Highlights from the Theology of Jonah: God's Compassionate Kindness

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Jonah: "See ya, buddy! You really
have been a 'great fish.' Ha ha ha"
This post is second in a series reflecting on what I've learned from writing a Theology of Jonah. The topic of this one is God's compassionate kindness, especially in contrast to Jonah's character.

God demonstrates His compassionate kindness throughout the entire story of Jonah. The story begins unfolds because God speaks to Jonah, a servant who doesn't share God's character or values. God speaks because He wants to show mercy to Nineveh, the people whose wickedness has come up before Him. God pursues Jonah because He is determined to show mercy to Nineveh. He prepares a great fish to preserve Jonah’s life, then recommissions His prophet, giving Jonah another chance to serve Him. God accepts the repentance and abasement of the Ninevites and relents from the disaster He had planned. Finally, God gives Jonah an object lesson that called him to change his thinking and adopt God's values.

Jonah’s values are completely upside-down throughout the story. Jonah acts inconsistently. He says he fears Yahweh (1:9), yet flees Yahweh’s summons. By contrast, the pagan sailors who see God's power over the storm and the sea sacrifice and make vows to Yahweh (1:16). Jonah praises God, saying that salvation belongs to Him (2:10), and affirms His character as “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in kindness and ... relenting concerning calamity” (4:2),  but Jonah is angry when God is consistent with His own character and has mercy on Jonah’s enemies.

God demonstrates care for human life by sending Jonah to Nineveh to proclaim the coming judgment. Jonah demonstrates a complete lack of concern for his shipmates by going down into the hold of his ship and falling asleep, insensible to the danger of the sailors. Even when the captain commands him to cry out to his God, Jonah remains silent until forced to speak by the lot that fell on him (1:7).  Jonah has compassion on a plant in which he made no investment. Yahweh has compassion on humans and livestock, and Jonah rails in rage (4:2). The irony is sharp!

This is one of the pointiest points of the story. You and I are supposed to check ourselves. Is there anyone you would like to see fall under God's judgment? Am I incredibly compassionate toward objects that bring me comfort, yet hard-hearted toward people I'm afraid of? Are you reluctant to be the means God's uses to pour His mercy out on someone dangerous?

In the next installment: what I learned about the other pointiest point in Jonah.

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