September 3, 2002  

JONAH'S SEPTEMBER 11

Jonah preached judgment. That was his specialty, and he was good at it. In fact, he was so effective at pronouncing judgment that the people of Nineveh repented and turned to God.

God forgave them and backed away from the judgment Jonah had so eloquently promised. Jonah was not pleased; God had pulled the rug from under him. Jonah had the opportunity to preach a new kind of sermon, proclaiming the mercy and grace of a loving God, but mercy-sermons were out of his line. Instead, he just sulked.

Jonah did his sulking on a hillside across the valley from the city that he hated and God had decided to love. What he expected is not clear, but his dark-cloud mood was perfectly evident.

A hot September-in-Southern-California sun rose over his head. God seemed to be taunting him with record triple-digit temperatures.

Then, surprisingly, an energetic fast-growing plant sprung up beside him, and before long Jonah enjoyed shady relief. His dark mood softened as he soaked in the comfort of the bush's shade.

But that didn't last long. God sent a "judgment" on the plant in the form of a ravenous worm. As fast as it had appeared, the bush withered and slumped to the ground. Once again Jonah sweltered in the sun.

"How could you do that to me?" Jonah complained. (His self-centeredness came to the surface; he was concerned not about the plant, but his own personal convenience.)

And God taught him an unforgettable lesson about judgment and mercy. Jonah hated to see God's "judgment" on the plant, because it meant some personal discomfort to him. But here he was, rooting for God's judgment to fall on a great city with thousands of inhabitants, many of them innocent children ("who do not know their right hand from their left"). He wanted God to destroy that city, in spite of their repentance, just because of his own sense of moral outrage.

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On September 11, as you sit on your hillside and think about people from an alien culture who seem strange and threatening, will you be praying for their destruction or for their salvation?

God has given us a wonderful shady plant in America's democracy and its guaranteed freedoms. But he could allow it to wither tomorrow. Our Jonah-like attitude could be the worm that begins the plant's downfall. Pray for a spirit that applauds God's grace and mercy, rather than judgment, violence and death.

–Pastor George VanAlstine