God Loves A Lot of People We Don't

The Minor Prophets: Jonah
Insights I take from reading through the minor prophets

Everyone knows the story of Jonah. God calls out Jonah to preach God's judgment on the city of Ninevah. But Jonah gets afraid and tries to escape the Lord (really, he tries to "escape God"--as said in verse 1:3--just ridiculous) by going the complete opposite direction (towards Tarshish) than he's supposed to go (towards Nineveh). But Jonah can't escape God, and he gets thrown into a fish (that God appointed). After praying to God and realizing that "salvation comes from the Lord alone" (v. 2:9), Jonah's spat out on dry land, he preaches to Nineveh, they get saved. Hooray.

But there is a huge chunk missing, a huge question from my synopsis of Jonah's story that children's sunday school has never answered, and if answered, has more often than not, incorrectly represented. The question that's missing, the real question we need to ask is ...why? Why was Jonah afraid? Why did he not preach God's judgment on the people of Ninevah, but instead flee towards the other direction?

In Sunday School I was taught that Jonah was afraid because he was afraid of the wicked, evil people of Nineveh, afraid of what Ninevah might do to the "bearer of bad news." In reality however the answer to "why Jonah was afraid" is quite different. And the question isn't answered till the "story is seemingly over": God spares Ninevah (3:10) because of their repentance (3:5), but the story doesn't end there.

After God spares Ninevah, get this, Jonah gets angry and finally we see where Jonah's heart was at the beginning of the book. And Jonah confesses to God in a surprising fit, "The reason I ran away to Tarshish is because I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God ..." (4:2). It seems like a strange statement, "I ran away because you're loving!" It seems out of place until you let it sink in for a couple minutes. The reason Jonah was afraid wasn't because Jonah thought Nineveh would lash out at him when they heard of God's judgment. Jonah wasn't afraid of God's judgment.  Jonah was afraid of God's forgiveness. Jonah was afraid that if he preached God's judgment to Nineveh, then Nineveh would repent and be forgiven by God. But Jonah didn't want that, because he felt Nineveh deserved judgment. The truth is, God loved someone that Jonah didn't. And that's the message of Jonah.

The truth is, I think that God loves a lot of people we don't.
I've looked at the poor with one glance and said to my heart, "They deserve it" and I drive on.
I've looked at the lonely and said to my heart, "someone else will come to them" and I ate my food.
I've looked at the people with complicated emotional issues and trying circumstances and said to my heart, "I don't have the time" and I walked briskly away.
I've looked at the failures and said "there's nothing I can do"
I've looked at the ugly and looked away
I've looked at the socially inept and ignored them
I've looked at the mentally deficient and avoided them
I've looked at the needy and i've closed myself off to them

And when i do those things, when we do those things, we restrict the flow of God's love and mercy to others than "our group." We restrict God's love and mercy, like a turnakit restricting blood to parts of the body, leaving some people deathly white and lifeless, far away from the blood of Jesus' compassion. Romans 8:39 promises that nothing can separate us from the love of God. But I assure you, I can separate the love of God from flowing through me.

I may not be able to stop God's salvation, because that comes from the Lord alone. But I can stop being a vessel for His salvation. Like bottle of water with a cap that's been glued shut. Sure, there's other bottles that people can drink out of. But God called Jonah. God calls me. God calls you, to a specific ministry, to specific people, to be used in specific ways ... are we fleeing from the impact God wants to make on the world through us?

So think about it ... who was the last person that you told yourself "wasn't worth your time"?

It's time to make time for that person. Stop running to Tarshish, and love the person God is calling you to love.  Even if its someone that's as dirty, sinful or detestable as Nineveh.