When I revisited the story of Jonah, I noticed a detail I had never observed before. Do you know where Jonah sat after his mission was complete? He sat outside the city of Nineveh. Do you know why he was sitting there? Why did he delay instead of leaving immediately and celebrating the redemption of the city? He sat there because he wanted to witness its destruction. The message God had sent Jonah to deliver was “repent or face judgment.” When he delivered the message, the people in the city chose to repent.

You would think that repentance is a cause for joy, that the fact the city didn’t have to be destroyed would be wonderful news. However, that was not Jonah’s response. Not only did he sit outside the city waiting for it to be destroyed, but when it wasn’t, he became angry with God. He told God, “I know that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” He explained that this was why he didn’t want to go in the first place, because he already knew that God wouldn’t punish them. Jonah’s true intentions towards the people are revealed by his words and actions, and God’s heart was revealed also.

Jonah had already decided that the people, all of them, deserved the calamity and judgment that was promised. They were guilty. In his mind, they didn’t deserve to be redeemed or saved; they didn’t deserve a warning. He was so angry that God relented and spared the city that he said it would be better if he, Jonah, just died. God asked Jonah, “Do you have a right to be angry?” I wonder something deeper today. Did Jonah have a right to render judgement condemning the people? How many times have I done the same thing?

We all, like Jonah, have been called to share the good news of the opportunity for salvation and redemption. This message has been given to us to share with everyone. Like Jonah, we have been called to share the message with people who we might feel are undeserving of the opportunity to repent. In our minds, there are people we’ve already condemned as unredeemable. Is it our job to determine who deserves redemption and who doesn’t? No, it’s not. We cannot see into the hearts of men to understand the intentions and reasons behind their actions. We are not God.

I am not excusing the actions of the people of Nineveh, but I am pointing out that they were living in a way that was right in their own eyes. They did not know the truth or even claim to serve God. What we know of the people in Nineveh at that time is that they were violent. This was a byproduct of the godlessness, idolatry, and perversions prevalent in their society. The people in Nineveh were not followers of the one true God and did not adhere to the same standards and laws that Jonah did. They behaved like all other people of that time who were without God or who served other gods, so even if you consider their actions to be unrighteous from the perspective of God’s laws, you must keep in mind that they didn’t claim God as their own and had not been blessed to receive the teachings or truths in their lives up to the point when Jonah arrives.

Does a person consider a sinner to have less value or are they thought of less in the eyes of God because they don’t do what is right? In light of God response and words we can understand that God had compassion towards them after all, he created them. We need to understand God’s approach. Not only how he views mankind, but how he views the judgment and punishment received because of sin. Do you think that God would happily destroy all unrighteous people? God forbid, he is not cruel.  He is just and kind. Though Jonah seemed to be happy and wanted to watch as they all burn, it would not have brought joy to God’s heart to bring judgement on the lost people of Ninevah. He does not enjoy our judgment. I’m sure he feels every soul lost, even one.

Look at the words God said to Jonah when Jonah groaned over the loss of his shade as he waited for the city to burn and felt sorry for himself when it didn’t: “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” God loves all people and does not wish for any to perish. That is clearly what scripture tells us. We should not make the mistake of thinking that because he is the one who ultimately will judge all of mankind, that in any way indicates that he enjoys watching people suffering because of the judgement they justly receive. 

We also should not make the mistake of thinking God needs a defender. If we believe that unrighteousness is offensive and wrong because it is against God, why then would we seek vengeance on His behalf? Doesn’t God say that vengeance is His to give? Scripture says that our battle is not against flesh and blood, so why then do we feel the need to attack people who live openly in unrighteousness and against what we perceive as the right way? Did God call us to go out and punish people for their sins? To hate them for their sins? To attack them for their sins? To wish horrible judgment and punishment on them? No, He did not.

What He has done is ask us, like He asked Jonah, to go to them and offer them a message of redemption through repentance. We are called to speak life, not death and damnation. To offer hope, not condemnation. To be the light of the world, not to seek to put out other people’s light. We need to be very careful to check our attitude. 

Remember, you are not called to be the righteous judge. You are not called to be God’s defender. You are not in any position to render judgment. You are not the one to bring vengeance.

We do not glory in the sufferings of others because we think they deserve the punishment or the pain they are experiencing. If that is the state of our heart and if that is our attitude, we need to check ourselves because we are very much in the wrong. Jonah demonstrated the incorrect attitude and approach and God called him out on it. I challenge you to check your own heart today. The world does not know we are a Christian by every right action we take; they know we are a Christian by our love. Perhaps Jonah was written as a warning to us so we would proceed with the right perspective in our own missions ahead. As we go to share the gospel with the lost, we need to go with the right approach and attitude.

Where are you in the story? Are you sitting outside the city waiting to watch it burn? Are you angry at God for not punishing everyone you perceive as unrighteous and deserving of it? Or are you hurrying back to other believers to testify of the amazing redemptive work that God did in the city? Are you trying to tell others who still have not heard and had the opportunity to repent, so they too can be saved? Are you rejoicing and celebrating with all those that are redeemed? In your own story, where will you choose to be?