Mercy for the Merciless
Teaching Pastor; Staff Governing Elder; Staff Director
Jonah’s story ends with unresolved anger, frustration, and self-righteousness. As we consider the things competing for our worship, may we humble ourselves to lay aside our self-righteous notions of justice and follow Jesus on his terms.
Study Questions
Application
Think about a recent time you felt heightened anxiety or fragility around a situation. What did you care about that was being threatened? Was that thing more important to you than God’s plan?
We all tend to create our own form of righteousness. Who in your life do you struggle to forgive or show compassion towards? How does God view that person?
Key Points
Jonah is frustrated with God because of his compassion towards the Ninevites, and he creates an over-simplistic narrative about God’s actions.
In his arrogance, Jonah creates his own form of righteousness, which blinds him to his failings and God’s true nature.
Although he says he worships God, Jonah really worships his own comfort. In the same way, we often try to use God to get what we want.
In contrast, Jesus has true righteousness, and he is driven by compassion. Instead of running from God’s plan, Jesus runs towards death so he can bring us life.
We cannot fully understand God, so must maintain a humble posture and be willing to question our own judgment when a cultural narrative makes sense to us.