The Grace Story of Jonah

We all know the story of the prophet Jonah that was sent to the city Nineveh to tell them that God will be destroying the city in three days time.  We also know how Jonah fled.  He took a ship to Tarsus and on the way there a storm broke out.  After the sailors on board was without hope Jonah told them who he was and also asked them to throw him overboard since that will calm the storm.  So they did it and the fish swallowed Jonah. In the the belly of this fish he came to repentance and so the fish vomited him out on shore.  Jonah then went to deliver the message.  We hear from the text that Jonah did not want to deliver this message because he was scared they will repent and he knew God will forgive and have mercy.

Now the part we don't always know is why Jonah wanted this city to be destroyed.  Nineveh was an Assyrian city of the time and the Assyrians was oppressing Israel in the worst ways ever.  The general feeling towards Assyria was not one of joy or even gratitude from the Israelite side so it is understandable why Jonah wanted these people dead.  The interesting part is where Jonah finds a view point to watch the city and to see what happens to them.  That is when God causes a plant to grow over night next to Jonah to give him shade.  He was great full but the very same day God made it to wither and so the sun was bating down on Jonah.  Now as we know him, Jonah got angry again and requested death on himself.

Jonah 4:10-11 "And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Keep in mind that the Assyrians in those days were not God's chosen and elect people.  According to the tradition they were outsiders, heathen to say the least yet God had compassion on them because our God is love!  Now with this picture in mind... imagine what will happen if we get the same heart and mind as Christ.  Can you imagine the compassion we will have towards those that we never saw as worthy?