Authentic: Not Getting What I Truly Deserve

I failed a few classes in college. One was a class on World Religions taught by Dr. Isaac Mwase. You’d think as a Christian Studies major I would have taken the class more seriously, but I was in a period of disobedience, you might even call it a period of despising my calling.

Dr. Mwase gave me every opportunity to raise my grade. The reason I was failing was that I didn’t write a paper that was required to pass the class. I don’t know exactly why I didn’t write it, it may have had something to do with the intramural sports I was playing. And my on-campus work study. And my work off campus. And starting a social club with my friends. And dating. And… pretty much anything not related to class work.

At the end of the semester Dr. Mwase offered me one more chance to make a D instead of an F by reading a book and writing a response paper. I was grateful. I read the book.

But I still didn’t write the paper. So I failed the class.

That next summer, I had a true, life-changing experience with God that led to my repentance. The next Spring semester I retook World Religions with Dr. Mwase and aced it.

Jonah, despising his calling, was on his way as far away as he could possibly get from what God wanted him to do. And as he was carried around in the belly of a fish, he finally agreed to do what God asked him to do.

It took him 3 days.

I’m not sure what would have kept him. Maybe he just really disliked those Assyrians. Maybe he was just that stubborn. Maybe he passed out and it was a miraculous thing that he came back around in time to be vomited up onto the beach. Regardless of the reason, though his prayer sounds good, his heart is revealed through the rest of the story.

Jonah picked himself up off the beach and made it to Nineveh. He walked 3 days through the streets declaring, “40 days and Nineveh will be overthrown!” The king heard of it and declared a period of fasting and sitting on ash in clothes made of burlap.

Meanwhile Jonah found a cozy spot and waited. It was hot, so God provided a plant to give him shade. The next day a worm killed the plant. Jonah revealed his heart when he said something not unlike this: “This is the worst! It’s so hot! Why don’t you just kill me!”

37 days later, Jonah was sitting on the hillside overlooking the city, and was disappointed when nothing happened. Jonah revealed his heart when he said something not unlike this: “I knew this would happen! That’s why I got on the boat! I knew if they repented you would spare them! Why don’t you just kill me!”

Then God asked my favorite question in all of Scripture: “Is it right for you to be angry?”
Of course Jonah was self-justified. Of course Jonah deserved the mercy the plant provided. Of course it was right for him to be angry that the plant was taken away.

God’s response:
You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and you did not grow. It appeared overnight and perished overnight. Should I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than 120,000 people… as well as many animals?

How often do we accept God’s mercy for ourselves but refuse to offer it to others? Our job is never to condemn, but always to reflect God’s love and mercy to those around us.

The message of Jonah is not that God will get you if you disobey. The message of Jonah is that our primary responsibility as the People of God is to bring those around us in on the blessings of following the Lord.

Let us always remember that, and let us teach our kids to do the same.