8.28.24
This week we are looking at how God displays his love to us. And clearly Jonah didn’t understand that love. Because God reveals to him that he had more love for his precious vine than he does for the people of Nineveh. And so this section displays how God’s love actually works.
The first aspect of his love we looked at yesterday. His love is a consuming fire, coming in to burn up everything that is temporary, so that what is eternal might remain. This aspect of God’s love shows us that his love is more costly than we imagine. His love isn’t merely a sentimental gesture of feelings, but it’s a display of his commitment to remake us into the image of Jesus. And though God is not the author of evil, he will use and direct and manage it for his loving purposes. This is what we often refer to as “hard love”.
But the second aspect of God’s love is the warming fire of his presence - the comfort of the vine. And this aspect of God’s love shows us that it’s more free than we believe. One would expect by this point that God would be fed up with this grumpy prophet. He has run from his call to preach to the Ninevites. And then he goes, but only half-heartedly gives a message of gloom and doom. And finally he sits in bitterness hoping, but not expecting, that God would destroy these evil people.
But God isn’t done with Jonah yet. Because his goal isn’t merely to get him to preach to these people. His main goal is to rescue Jonah’s own heart. And by using words of gentle encouragement (Do you have a right to be angry), and by the convenient provision of the shady vine and the inconvenient provision of the worm to kill it, God is gently and patiently drawing him to see the beauty of his love. And that is, Jonah, I love the Ninevites in spite of their violence. And I love you, in spite of your arrogance. And theres really no difference between you. Some people are wild rebellious younger brothers who thumb their nose at God. While others are good and respectable elder brothers, who stay home and diligently to their duty. But they are both running from the love and grace of God.
We all struggle around people we deem to be less worthy than us. Maybe they aren’t living as well as we are. Or they aren’t making as wise of choices as we are. And it’s easy to look down on them and despise them. But God is showing us here that his love comes based on his mercy alone, and not for any good thing we do or any evil thing we avoid.
God loves you today because of Jesus. And that means he loves you in spite of… In spite of your horrible mess-ups. But also, in spite of your pride for your successes. And he will stop at nothing to display that deep love to your heart and mine today.