Jonah 4 Be Grateful in Spite of your Suffering
(Slide 1 – Tragedy / Comedy) I have told you before that there are three types of life stories. There are tragedies where somebody suffers great loss and lives the rest of their lives in the shadow of that loss. Then there are comedies where a person has great privilege and just tries to hang onto that privilege come what may. The person’s emotions and happiness is directly related to how secure and unthreatened his or her privilege is. Then there is an epic story, where a person makes a great sacrifice to enhance or save the lives of others. It is obvious that the epic story is the one we want to live. Few people manage to do it but those who do inspire others. They are what we call inspirational people.
(Slide 2) Maybe when you look at your own life, you feel like your life story is more like a tragedy or a comedy than an epic. You suffered a great loss or tragedy and your life has never been the same since. Or you were born with a proverbial golden spoon of some sorts in your mouth and your whole life has been a comedy where you clench that spoon for all you are worth, fearing you will be nothing without it. But here is the good news. Tragedies and comedies can be redeemed and turned into epic tales.
(Slide 3 – Jonah) Some theologians say that the book of Jonah is to be understood as a divine comedy and I can see why. Jonah was wealthy and he decided to protect his status by fleeing to Tarshish. We are not sure where Tarshish was. It literally means something like; “never-never land” and seems to indicate the furthest possible point from Nineveh. Some speculate that it might have been modern day Spain. The point is that it was the opposite direction from where God wanted him to go and it was expensive. Chapter 1 explicitly mentions that Jonah paid for his fare. It is a clear indication that he was a wealthy man. In 2 Kings 14 we also read about Jonah. We read that he was a successful promoter of a nationalistic cause. He helped to expand Israel’s territory. It means he was popular among his people and was passionate about his people. His nationalistic zeal might also explain his wealth. So, Jonah clung to both his Nationalism and his wealth. So much so, that he was not at all open to God interrupting his goals.
This all explains why God’s command to go to the people of Nineveh was so difficult for Jonah to execute and so easy to run away from. Nineveh was the capitol of the Assyrian empire, which posed a direct threat to Israel’s nationalistic ideals. They were known for how cruelly they treated their captured enemies. This was not Jonah’s cup of tea. He clung to his privilege and popularity like the main actor in any comedy would.
Now have you ever noticed that when we read the Bible, we always just see ourselves as the good guys? When we read about David and Saul, we see ourselves as noble David – never as grumpy and jealous Saul. When we read about Israel fighting an enemy we are always on the good guys side, aren’t we? When we read about the crowd shouting: “Crucify Him!” we are shocked, in our minds we see ourselves standing there with Jesus, thinking we are better than the crowds and even the disciples who had all deserted Him at this stage. It could serve us well to see the Sauls, the enemies, the Judases and the crowds in us and allow the Bible to confront us rather than just “them”. Today, let’s see ourselves for a while as Jonahs.
Jonah’s emotions
(Slide 4 – dark emotions) Jonah goes through quite a range of emotions, but certain ones dominate including resentment, bitterness and anger. Before we go: “Bad Jonah” let us think for a moment just how difficult God’s request was for him and how much reason he must have felt he had to go into these dark emotions. First of all, God messes with his life story. A story seemingly marked by a single-minded devotion to the people of Israel, the people he knew and loved best. Imagine if you are overweight and most of your friends are overweight. You understand the plight and struggles of overweight people – you relate to them. God sends you now to a group of gym junkies that are known to make fun of overweight people, and God asks you to not condemn them but to be gracious to them. Would you fall over your self [SN1] to do that? Yet, this is exactly what God asks of Jonah. Can you imagine how many “why” questions ran around in his head? He did not like the people he was being sent to. He didn’t feel at ease or at home there. Even just travelling there was not how Jonah imagined his life. He did not fit in and he did not feel qualified to do what God asked of him. Not belonging and not feeling competent and forced to do something we don’t want to do – these will make the best of us resentful.
Also, what he had to go and confront there was no small thing. Assyrians were known to gouge out eyes, cut off ears and slice off noses of people captured – all whilst still being alive. This would be akin to be send to a serial killer to tell him exactly what he has done and why it was so wrong. Further, he did not know their culture well; something that is essential for effective communication.
Let us admit that it is easy to become resentful, bitter and angry – unless you naïve and sheltered!. We have to deal with dishonesty and cruelty when we live in this world. It can make it hard to trust anybody when you repeatedly get burnt by it. We get thrown into duties and obligations we did not sign up for and do not feel called to or equipped to confront. That can also make one bitter. We struggle, not only with the brokenness and mistakes of others but also with our own insecurities and lack. If you look for an excuse to be bitter and angry you will find many around you and inside you. There are even philosophers that look at all the bad things and argue that it is immoral to bring children in the world. The Columbine shooters and other extremists took it even further and reckoned it will be better to cease to exist all together. If you think about it, it is kind of the same conclusion Jonah came to in chapter 4: verse 7. It says he wanted to die… because of a bad sunburn (but actually because of his fatalistic way of thinking).
Here is the interesting thing…if you look at people who ended up the most angry and bitter, like the Columbine shooters, these philosophers who don’t think we should bring children into this world, and now even Jonah, you expect to find a life full of the most horrific of tragic experiences. But most often you don’t find anything that bad. In fact, you often find evidence of a privileged and a cushioned life.
(Slide 5 – Terry Fox) When you then go to the opposite side of the spectrum and have a look at the life experiences of the most kind, gracious and most thankful people, you most often find the very opposite with them. They are often people that have lived through unspeakable terror and horrors. Think of Terry Fox, Nelson Mandela, Oprah Winfrey and many more. When we look at Jonah we only find evidence of success and privilege. That is why his world falls apart when his shade disappears. [SN2]
The remedy?
So, all this begs the question: If I am privileged, how do I prevent becoming a comedic Jonah? And if I have suffered greatly, how do I become one of those that live a life filled with gratitude and grace? Well, by doing a few things Jonah did not do.
(Slide 6 – Surrender) The first one is to submit to a Being, God, that is greater than you and seek His will that might change you. Actually, there is a better word than “submit”. Submit is what you do in relation to someone that is more powerful than you out of fear. But “surrender” is what you do when you trust somebody more powerful than you to be good to you, and others. When Jonah surrendered, he was at peace. When he didn’t surrender, when he decided to go his own way, his bitterness and misfortune multiplied. To play God is a recipe that will lead to resentment. To surrender to, and worship God, is a remedy that will lead to peace.
(Slide 7 – Reach out) Secondly, we need to reach out to people whose plight is worse than our own. We sometimes get wrapped up in our own issues and feel sorry for ourselves, but I guarantee you there are at least a few persons close to you in some way that are worse off than you in many ways. When you get involved in their plight it puts your problems in perspective. You feel less alone and less stuck. Now, to theoretically take note of this fact won’t cut it. It’s not enough. Jonah engaged with his mind and preaching skills but not with his heart. He did not feel the people of Nineveh. It takes some practice to listen empathetically. It is sometimes better to resist the urge to do something for someone in need until we feel and spend time just being present with somebody in need.
(Slide 8 – respond to suffering) Thirdly, we need to realize that we can respond to suffering and injustice in a way that is redeeming. As sure as Evil is a reality in this world we live in, Good is too. And good, even in small packages, can conquer evil. We can push back against evil. We can change our ways like the people of Nineveh. We can avert disaster, or at the very least limit its bad consequences. To God, nobody and nothing is a basket case. Nobody is irredeemable. He is a God that can provide shade for a weary traveller in ways we cannot fathom. He is the God that can change a whole nation’s hearts – as well as our own. Jonah wanted there to be just one end for the Assyrians’ story. God wanted there to be an open and a happy ending. God always writes a better story.
And Jonah was tragically funny because he threw a tantrum about his own needs whilst being unconcerned about the needs of a people and animals, a whole nation, that God did care about. Because Jonah did not get to write the story. Because God is the Master author of life.
Close
(Slide 9 – Jonah & Jesus) There is some hint that even Jonah’s comedy turned into an epic tale by the grace of God. You see, what is shared in the book of Jonah is personal. The kind of stuff that could only be shared by Jonah himself. And when do you know a person has changed for the better? When that person’s ego has died. When that person dares to tell a story in which God is the hero and he is the fool to show people God can turn comedies and tragedies into epic tales. And this was exactly what Jonah did. He told his story as it happened – comical and tragic as it was. He sacrificed his reputation and his ego, to glorify God.
If you take an honest look at yourself this morning and recognize a whole lot of bitterness and resentment in yourself. A comic clinging to privilege and comfort or a tragic clinging to sorrow as an excuse, this story tells you that there is hope for your comedy or tragedy.
The hope is not in you becoming the hero. It is not even primarily in your own repentance. The hope is in God reaching you and using you. It is in God transforming your stubbornness into submission, your selfishness into empathy for others, your passivity into action that serves the good even in the face of injustice and scarcity.
He is busy doing this in us right now. Our comedies and tragedies turn into epics because Jesus has entered our lives, our stories. We are not Israel, we are Nineveh. We are not David except perhaps when he lied and cheated. In the gospel story we are not Jesus, but the sinner on the cross next to Him. But Jesus is the one that loved us regardless and changes us in spite of everything in and around us that tells us it is not possible. He is the one that assures us that we will enter with Him into paradise.
And embracing this, in the midst of our struggles, is the way to remain grateful, in spite of however rough this ride called life can get.
Amen
[SN1]There are two possible phrases here:
Fall over yourself.
Or
Trip over your own feet.
[SN2]Not quite sure what you mean by this, but I take it as a metaphor of losing your shade and being thrust into the sun.
Maybe it’s a South African saying?
But I like it.