Who Makes Your Blood Boil? What Jonah Teaches Us About Loving Our Enemies

By Pastor John Erickson

I want you to think about a person or group of people who really makes your blood boil. You know the ones. The people who seem to represent everything you disagree with. The people whose opinions, decisions, or behavior make you angry. Write them down privately if it helps. Keep that name nearby while we read, because Jonah has a way of changing who we think the story is about.

Now imagine something terrible happens to them. Is there a small part of you that thinks, Well, they kind of deserved that? It's not a particularly comfortable question. But it might be one of the most important questions we can ask when reading the book of Jonah.

Because despite what you might remember from Sunday school, Jonah isn't primarily a story about a man and a really big fish. It's a story about the mercy of God-and how difficult it can be for us to accept that mercy when it's directed toward people we don't like.

Jonah Isn't the Hero We Expect

If you grew up hearing the story of Jonah, you probably remember the basic outline. God tells Jonah to go to Nineveh. Jonah runs in the opposite direction. A storm comes. A giant fish swallows Jonah. Eventually, Jonah goes to Nineveh, preaches God's message, and the people repent. It's a wonderful story of God's forgiveness.

Except that's not where the story ends. There's an entire fourth chapter, and it's probably the most important part of the book.

Throughout the story, Jonah behaves in ways we wouldn't expect from God's prophet. When the storm comes, pagan sailors show concern for human life while Jonah seems remarkably unconcerned. When Jonah finally preaches in Nineveh, the people respond to God. Even the king humbles himself and calls the city to turn away from violence and evil.

Almost everyone seems to be responding to God. Except God's prophet. And here's where things get interesting.

Jonah Is Angry That God Is Merciful

In Jonah 4, we finally discover why Jonah ran away in the first place. It wasn't simply because he was afraid of Nineveh. He knew something about God's character. He knew that God was gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Normally, those are things we celebrate about God.

But Jonah is furious. Why? Because God has shown compassion to people Jonah believes deserve judgment.

Jonah loves God's mercy when he receives it. Remember, Jonah himself had just been rescued from death after disobeying God. He was alive because God had been gracious to him. But apparently, that grace wasn't supposed to extend to his enemies.

I find it easy to see how ridiculous Jonah is. An entire city has responded to God, and the preacher is having a terrible day because the sermon worked. But before I enjoy being smarter than Jonah, I need to recognize something uncomfortable. We can do exactly the same thing. We celebrate grace when God gives it to us. We sing about forgiveness. We thank Jesus for His mercy. But what happens when that same mercy is extended to somebody we would rather see get what they deserve?

What's the Deal With the Plant?

The ending of Jonah is wonderfully strange. Jonah goes outside the city, sits down, and waits to see what will happen. God provides a plant that grows over Jonah and gives him shade. Jonah is delighted. Then God provides a worm that destroys the plant. The sun becomes unbearably hot, and Jonah is furious again.

It's almost comical. An entire city receives mercy, and Jonah is angry. A plant gives him some shade, and Jonah is happy. The plant dies, and Jonah wants to die too.

But God is exposing something about Jonah's heart. Look at what Jonah cares about. His comfort matters deeply to him. The lives of more than 120,000 people? Apparently, not so much. God asks Jonah why he is so concerned about this plant while showing so little concern for the people of Nineveh.

And then the book ends. That's it. No resolution. No final speech from Jonah. No explanation about whether he finally understood. Just a question hanging in the air.

Who Are Your Ninevites?

I think Jonah is one of the most brilliant books in Scripture because it has a way of turning the tables on us. We begin reading the story thinking Jonah is the problem. But somewhere along the way, we realize the story is holding up a mirror. The real question becomes: Who are the people I struggle to see with compassion? Who have I reduced to an enemy, a political position, a problem, or a stereotype?

It's possible to have excellent theology and still have a heart that is deeply resistant to the mercy of God. We can know all the right things about God's character and struggle to reflect that same character toward others.

Jesus challenges us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). That's a very different response from Jonah. In many ways, Jesus shows us the opposite of Jonah's attitude. Where Jonah runs away from his enemies, Jesus moves toward those on the outside. Where Jonah resents mercy, Jesus embodies it. And where Jonah is consumed by his own comfort, Jesus gives Himself for others.

The Question We Have to Answer

The book of Jonah doesn't tell us how Jonah responds to God's final question. Perhaps that's intentional. Because now the question belongs to us.

It's easy to agree that God is loving, gracious, and compassionate. The challenge comes when following Jesus means showing that same love to people we'd rather avoid. We have received mercy we didn't earn. And Jesus is inviting us to extend mercy beyond the people who are easy for us to love.

So who are your Ninevites? Look back at the name you wrote down. Can you bring that person before God without first explaining why they do not deserve mercy?

I need to bring my own heart to Him too. Jonah exposes my tendency to say the right things while my actions reveal something else. I have received mercy in that gap. Now Jesus is calling me to love the people I would rather avoid.