Am I Jonah?

by Chadwick Brewer

“And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:2).

In the list of most criticized people in Scripture, Jonah often falls among those at the top of the list. We note that he is hard-hearted, rebellious, petulant, and whiny. He is unforgiving and disappointed in God for being forgiving and long-suffering. In our minds, we divorce our self-image from Jonah in a way that we rarely, if ever, ask ourselves if we are like Jonah.

Ancient cuneiform tablets describing the acts of Ashurnasirpal II (who reigned about the time of Jonah) describe a brutal and cruel man who covered the pillars of the city with the skins of his enemies. This helps us to understand Jonah’s refusal to go. It is probably true that the sins of Nineveh far outstrip those who have wronged us, but do we also harbor desires of vengeance and retribution, not wanting God to bless them?

Maybe you’re thinking, “God called Jonah to go to his enemies, but I never got that call.” But we have on a variety of occasions. We are to “go into all the world… to every creature… making disciples.” We are to “love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.” We are called to “take up our cross (an implement of self-sacrifice) and follow Jesus” as we give ourselves up for others.

Am I Jonah? Do I run away from the commands of YHWH as Jonah did? Do I harbor the same or similar feelings in my heart toward those who have hurt me?