Angry enough to die?
Pastor Trevor's sermon series reminded me of Jonah, one of my favorite stories in the Bible. My mom and I have always loved the story. We joke about the melodrama of Jonah's dialogue, maybe because we saw a little too much of ourselves in it.
In the story, God commanded Jonah to warn the town of Nineveh that they would be overthrown if they did not change their wicked ways. It so happened that Jonah hated those people so much that he ran from God and hopped on a ship to hide from God. God sent a storm to Jonah's ship, and when the other shipmates figure out that the storm was Jonah's fault—they obliged Jonah's plea that they should throw him out to sea. The storm calmed, and a whale directly swallowed up Jonah. From the belly of the whale, Jonah cried out to God, begging forgiveness, and the whale vomits (yes, vomits) Jonah onto dry land.
After that ordeal, Jonah was more than ready to get to Nineveh and get it over with. You'd think that Jonah would be relieved that the people of Nineveh heeded God's warning—but instead, Jonah was angry that God had spared them.
I imagine if Jonah's story happened today, what he said would sound more like, "You spared these dumb Ninevites! Lord, just kill me now—because I'd rather die than live in community with them." God, the patient Father, asked Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry?" But Jonah didn't hear it. Instead, Jonah stomped off to seethe under a leafy plant to get out of the sun and pout himself to sleep.
God was not finished making Jonah uncomfortable. God provided a worm to eat up that leafy plant which left Jonah in the blazing sun. This was Jonah's breaking point. Jonah declared, "I'd rather be dead than to live!" God says, "Do you have the right to be angry about the plant?" Jonah doubles down and says, "I do! I am angry enough to die!"
Are we a little melodramatic, Jonah? I don't think I'm overinterpreting when I say the worm eating the plant was not the root of the problem. It was just the last straw. God gives Jonah this last piece of perspective, "Should I not have concern for those people, the Ninevites?"
I sympathize with Jonah. He was so angry that he overreacted to the point of declaring that he wanted to die versus associating with "those people." It took something the size of a worm to ruin his day and make him want to die. I'd be lying if I said that I don't relate to the sentiment, exaggerated though it may be. Some current events come to mind.
The year 2020 was very polarizing for many. So many of the people I love were upset with others I love because they disagreed with their social media posts. There was a point where I had gotten in my car, began driving to my job, and then sat in a Wal-Mart parking lot waiting to stop panicking long enough to call into work and take a personal day. I couldn't make myself go into a bookstore (just a few miles south of D.C. no less) where the demographic had gone from some of my favorite regulars—people who were just as excited about books as I was—to mad people, shouting and carrying on for any number of reasons. I was so angry and exasperated that I could imagine myself frustrated like Jonah. "Yes! I am angry enough to die!" Luckily, I didn't have to be swallowed and regurgitated by a whale to see where I went wrong.
We are called to do what we don't want to do for people who may not be the easiest people to help. We falsely imagine that seeing God in "those" people is easy, looks elegant, and is appropriately acknowledged. Like Jonah, we may get mad and distracted over big stuff or even get mad at something the size of a worm. We forget that seeing God in those people is what God expects of us.
So, when God asked that question, "You're angry over a worm? Shouldn't I have concern for those people, the Ninevites?" It is a bit of a convicting question. Scripture doesn't say how Jonah responds to God's final question to him. The chapter ends somewhat abruptly without sharing how Jonah responded. But I have always imagined that this final question from God got through to Jonah. God persisted in demonstrating to Jonah that He loved those people, the Ninevites, much in the way that God loved Jonah.
Kelsey Wenrich
Community & Connections Coordinator