God's Concern Has No Exceptions

Transcript

Auto-generated from the audio. Click a timestamp to jump to that part of the video.

[0:00] All right, well, thank you. Well, you all know how I feel about spoiler alerts, but I'm going to pull you down to my level today and give you some before we start reading our passage, because I don't want to miss the opportunity that we have here to simply bask in this beautiful passage and to take in the import of the message here while we're reading through it. So here are some spoiler alerts for Jonah chapter four.

[0:33] One, there is a big fight. We saw this building, Jonah running, Jonah angry, Jonah frustrated, and here Jonah's had it. And so there's a fight with God. And I think as humans, we have this tendency to not want to enter into tension. And sometimes we want to avoid this. And sometimes we have this tendency to think that conflict is strictly bad. But the amazing thing throughout scripture is that God enters into conflict with us. And I always think about how, as humans, every one of us has both been the person who thinks they are right in an argument and is not, and we have to be able to understand that. We have also known another person who thinks they are right in an argument and is not.

[1:34] Here's the really cool thing about God, is God is always, always right and knows it and still lets us be wrong and work through things. And that's what's happening in this passage here. And it's so very critical to Jonah's spiritual formation.

[1:58] And so God just lets him be angry and work through that anger, and God doesn't turn away from that. So here when we're reading this passage, when we're reading chapter four, and we have this human tendency to cringe away from conflict, I encourage us to enter in and really appreciate what God is doing in this fight here that Jonah is having with him. And so, I want to say, I think, that's a really important thing. You may notice he's actually very quiet.

[2:32] And that becomes very important. Other than that, this whole book so far has been about God's redemption for all of his creation. From the beginning of this book to the end, that's what it's about. Redemption for every single human and every single part of creation. So first there was redemption for the sailors. And they represented not just a boat full of sailors. But people from every nation and culture. People from every religion.

[3:13] And there was redemption for every one of them. Now they were lost. But they were willing to seek redemption. That's one brand of people. And then there came redemption. redemption for the Ninevites. They were nothing like those sailors. They were lost, but they were not seeking redemption. In fact, they seemed to be the most unlikely and unworthy recipients of God's grace. And yet, they were recipients nonetheless because God's grace was for them too.

[3:49] There was even redemption for the cattle and for these non-human elements of God's creation. And then there's redemption for Jonah. And it doesn't that seem unlikely, but that's what we're going to talk about in this chapter here, was that Jonah stood in need of a fuller redemption. Jonah was a prophet. Some people say that Jonah was a comedic prophet or Jonah was an anti prophet. I actually, maybe I'm not as wise or as as informed as those many scholars who have spent lives studying the book of Jonah, but I do disagree with them.

[4:35] At least at a certain point, Jonah was a person of God. And as we see here, and we'll jump into this, he had enough faith in God's love for him that he was able to know God's character and to question it and to and to allow himself to argue with God. And I think of this as like well, I used to work in a daycare and in a preschool. And there were some children who were very very angelic. All through their time at school. And as soon as their parent came within sight. They just melt down. Because they felt safe. They felt safe with their parent. That they could be chaotic. And be be themselves and be frustrated and their parent at the end of the day would love them unconditionally. And a child just knows that internally. And I think that's how Jonah felt. Jonah was not an anti-prophet. I think he was a real prophet who really knew God, who really knew the outcomes of human behavior in relation to God, and who really needed to know God better. And so there is that redemption, that last piece of redemption that comes for those who are actually already redeemed. Sometimes we stumble, sometimes we fall away, sometimes we don't stumble or fall away, we just don't fully get it. And so our redemption in God is always growing.

[6:19] And I think that's beautiful too, that God doesn't just say, okay, you have a relationship with me, so you're saved and you're done, and you go over here and wait while I redeem the rest of creation. It doesn't work that way. It's this constant, always happening process that God enters into our chaos and our mess and our ridiculousness, and he patiently and lovingly will redeem us. And I think that's beautiful too, that God doesn't just say, okay, you have a relationship with me, so you're saved and you're done, and you go over here and wait while I redeem the rest of creation. It doesn't work that way. It's this constant, always happening process that God enters into our chaos and our ridiculousness, and he patiently and lovingly builds us so that our understanding of his character and our own experience of redemption can be the fullest and most perfect thing that it was meant to be. And then at the very end of this chapter, this is the final spoiler, at the very end, the very last verse, is what I think is the pinnacle of the entire book. And actually, I think it's not just the pinnacle of the book of Jonah. I think it is one of the key themes of the entire Bible. And it just bursts through in this one convicting question from God that's left hanging and unanswered. And that is,

[7:49] Should I not be concerned? Should I not be concerned? Should I not feel sorry? Should I not be moved by the plight of my lost creation? And God speaks those words over everyone that he has redeemed in this book and everyone he will redeem. Should I not be concerned for the many nations and cultures from the world that are around the world for these sailors? For the people who are lost and don't even know they're lost and don't want redemption? Should I not be concerned for my non-human creation? And you, Jonah, should I not be concerned for you? Should I not be concerned for everyone in the whole world, whether you think they deserve it or not? These are our spoilers.

[8:49] With those in mind, as we jump into scripture together, I want you to pay attention to the tension, to the grace, to the beauty of God's concern, and to all of these themes so that we really can take this moment to really fully appreciate this word.

[9:11] I'll be reading from the NLT version, which is printed in your bulletins. Please join with me. Reading Jonah 4. The Lord replied, Is it right for you to be angry about this? Then Jonah went out east to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there.

[10:35] And soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah's head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort. And Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But God also arranged for a worm. And the next morning at dawn, the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away.

[11:00] And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. Death is certainly better. Than living like this, he exclaimed.

[11:25] Then God said to Jonah, Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died? Yes, Jonah retorted, angry enough to die. Then the Lord said, You feel so sorry about the plant. Though you did nothing to put it there, it came quickly. And the Lord said, It died quickly.

[11:51] But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness. That is, people who are living in a way that they don't know they're left from their right. Not to mention animals. So shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city? Let's pray.

[12:21] God, we ask that you would teach us more about the vastness of your character and the greatness of your compassion and concern for all of humanity and all of creation. These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

[12:44] Okay, so the Ninevites were ruthless. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. was one of their enemies. Not only that, but Israel itself was in a bad way. They were receiving their own prophecies of judgment. They pretty much knew that they would be handed over to their enemies eventually, and Assyria was that enemy. If Jonah went to this city and was murdered, which was very, very likely by the way, that would be a humiliating and torturous death for himself, as well as a humiliation for his people, and maybe even a humiliation for God. At least that's what Jonah would probably be thinking, but we know the character of God would not find that to be a lost battle.

[14:05] Now if the Ninevites were to receive Jonah, Jonah's message, and actually repent, it almost seemed like that was a worst case scenario, and this is why. You might think it sounds good for Nineveh to repent, because if they repented and turned toward God, that means that they would no longer be allowed to just conquer cities and slaughter people. That sounds like a good outcome, but the problem is that they are one city, and they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation.

[14:48] And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation. And they are one nation.

[15:09] They may repent, but realistically speaking, Jonah assumed that they would soon be engulfed in their violence and hatred again. And when that happened, they would soon come after Israel. Now, how would Israel feel about the prophet who allowed that to happen?

[15:30] Either way he looked at it, he saw himself as an instrument of his own doom. And so Jonah feared that he was being sent by God to some form of destruction. And sure, he had faith enough in God to say he would rather choose to run from God and to disobey God and then rely on his grace, than to say he would hand himself over to the Ninevites. So when God said that he wanted to destroy Israel, to give the Ninevites a chance at redemption, Jonah feared. And he was beyond skeptical that they would even accept God's offer at all in the first place. Or that if they did accept that, he was very skeptical that they would continue in that fashion. And he wasn't wrong. And the great part about this book is that by the time it was placed in the book, in canon, people knew that Jonah wasn't wrong. In fact, the Ninevites did fall back into their patterns of violence and destruction. And the Ninevites did, did turn back to the ways that would eventually lead to the conquering of Israel.

[17:00] So Jonah wasn't wrong. And when this book was canonized, they knew that. And I think that's an important point to keep in mind. That there was a risk here. God took it. He took a chance on the Ninevites. Even knowing that it probably was a long shot.

[17:22] But God saw this message to the Ninevites as critical. Regardless of the risk that they would either never repent, or would fall back into their own patterns. And our Creator will always desire for the relationship with the people he created.

[17:46] When the Ninevites fell back into their old practices of injustice, God had to keep his word and bring about their destruction. And so he did. The Assyrians were crushed by the Babylonians. God's justice can't be compromised. And I need us to accept that point here. That God's justice can't be compromised. He loved the Ninevites. And the Ninevites were perpetrators of great, vast injustice. And he loved them deeply. And so we're going to hear some hard truths today. Because I think as a culture, we recognize God's justice. And there are so many messages. I mean, Hans-Erik and I did a series not that long ago on justice in the Bible. And that's not uncommon. We are so grateful that injustice will come to an end. And people who have suffered under great injustices are especially grateful for that. So when I talk about this promise of redemption to the perpetrators of injustice, sometimes that feels really hard. So there's one point I want to stress here. And that is that God does not compromise on his standards of justice. Even at the same time that he does not compromise on his standards of love and compassion. He loves every person so deeply that he must first take the chance for their redemption.

[19:48] Now, God's work of redemption is not over in our own lives. And there comes a balance of the injustice and the compassion that I was talking about. And here's where Jonah was deeply, deeply struggling. Jonah deeply struggled because the Israelites were being crushed by their enemies, spiritually, emotionally, as a nation, physically.

[20:21] It was a very real issue. And there are people, in this world, who are lost and hurting. There are people who have been tortured, who have been conquered, who have been abused, who have been oppressed, who have been silenced, who have been hurt in countless ways, so many ways that we cannot possibly list them all here.

[20:52] What does it mean that God brings compassion? And redemption to the people who caused that pain. There is this balance here between compassion for the suffering and compassion for the perpetrators that, honestly, we may never, ever fully understand in this lifetime. But somehow, God keeps that balance in perfect wholeness, love, and justice. And God has this whole big picture. That we just don't have.

[21:32] And so the struggle of faith is that we have to have enough faith to accept that. His love for the Ninevites did not lessen or cancel his love for the suffering. In this case, his love for Jonah. But Jonah couldn't really see that. God chose to use Jonah to enter into that pain and risk in faith and partner with God on this mission. Can you imagine that?

[22:10] Our youth group might be able to make the connection here. Two weeks ago, our youth group heard at Youth Group Together from a man who was raised in Cambodia, is now a pastor here in California. But was raised in Cambodia and lived through the atrocities of the killing fields. I think, now I lost the actual number, it's either 12 or 20 times that his life was in absolute danger of being taken from him. He was tortured, he was chased, he was oppressed, he was near death. More times than I have fingers.

[23:00] And decades later, when he made it to the US, his mission in life was to intentionally seek out the people who caused him that torture. And I can't imagine this, but he spent countless years researching and searching and finding until he could find the people who were used to him. And he was responsible for torturing him all those years. And you know what his intention was? And what he eventually did? Was he took them out, he gave them a meal, and spent a night in the hotel with them. A nice hotel, where he talked to them about redemption through Christ.

[23:48] This is absolutely stunning to me. And he talked to them in a way that was loving and very honestly forgiving. And I don't think that many of us could do this. If we're very honest with ourselves, I don't think we could. But this is what God was calling Jonah to. Basically, it's the same thing. God is saying, hey, you know those people who are crushing you? I want you to enter in to their journey of redemption. And their journey of redemption was ultimately also going to be Jonah's journey of redemption, but he couldn't see that. Instead, all Jonah could see was, God is using me for this horrifying mission. And it's not right, and it's not fair.

[24:47] God's mission is for the redemption of all. He wasn't picking on Jonah. He was using Jonah in a way that would eventually build Jonah up. Because we are limited in our sight. Jonah knew about God's character.

[25:14] Jonah knew that God's character is at his very core justice and steadfast love. Jonah recited the words of God's character. And yet, Jonah's vision was still limited. We know God is compassionate. We know God is merciful and just. And yet, we can't really grasp the extent of that.

[25:47] God has enough room in his absolute love to care for us to the very, very, very best level of care that is even possible. While at the same time, caring in the same fashion for others who are equally lost, even others who have brought us harm.

[26:18] We don't often see that. And so God, in his redemption of Jonah, wanted him to grow in that understanding. Now this passage is breathtaking. And the entire book has built up to this theme of life and redemption through God's unfailing love and compassion. And it's summarized by the final verse in the NLT. I usually love the NLT. The NLT, it says, should I not feel sorry?

[26:55] And in other translations, it says, should I not be concerned? I don't think either really does justice to what's being said. But first we see Jonah's summary of God's reputation in Israel. And I don't think that's true. I don't know if any translation in English really does justice to what is said here. So when Hans-Erik says there's something important in memorizing scripture in Hebrew, this might be one of those points where the Hebrew word actually makes this whole passage so much more profound. So like I said, first we see Jonah's summary of God's reputation in Israel. A God who is known not just for relenting from sending calamity, but the word here means that he agonizes over sending calamity. It is not just difficult for God when his children, his creation, are destroyed.

[28:07] It is absolutely agonizing for God to watch his children being lost. Can you imagine being in just excruciating physical pain because of your sadness for somebody's state? That is God's state for the lost. He agonizes.

[28:29] And then, as I said before, the second word that is very, very underemphasized is concerned or sorry. We're meant to link the two words together. We're meant to linger on this word concern because that is the end of the book. It just stops at this open-ended question that doesn't get answered. Should I not be concerned?

[28:57] The end of the book. We are meant to take that word with a full heavy weight. This concern is a vast understatement. The word concerned is a word that means to cover in pity as in an active form of compassion. So it is taking action literally with tears flowing down the cheeks.

[29:30] It is not a passive concern but a deeply active and emotional concern that invokes a response. It is coming from the same place of agonizing love that we just spoke of. It's the same type of concern that Jesus had for us as he went to the cross.

[29:56] So these two woefully understated words mean so much to this narrative and to all of life and faith. God sees his people lost, lost, and found. And he sees them all alike with this desperate, active, and suffering concern that spurs him to action on our behalf.

[30:26] In this case, the action is the giving of redemption and taking on the calamity in their place. So with their honest repentance, with the honest repentance of the Ninevites, with the honest repentance of anyone lost, he takes on the full weight of the penalty for all of their evil actions.

[30:54] Even their evil actions against his people of Israel. And he has that same concern for Jonah who is caught in an angry and sinful state of mind. He has the same agonizing compassion and concern for us that is displayed by the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ on our behalf.

[31:22] And he has the same concern for the entire world. In just these two words, concern and relent, we see that God is in agony over the state of his whole creation. And he moves in a way that brings their calamity upon himself. Now Jonah and the people of God know that God at his very core is steadfast love, incapable of anything unloving and incapable of tolerating justice. And in our human minds, those ideas clash here.

[32:04] The reason Jonah is in agony when Jonah was sent to Nineveh was because they were bringing injustice to the others around them. And God couldn't and wouldn't tolerate that. He saw the pain of his children crying out to him.

[32:20] He agonized over their pain at the hands of the Ninevites. And he was compassionately moved in grief and concern to stop the injustice and act on behalf of their pain. And at the same time, he was moved with compassion and justice to give the Ninevites a chance to repent and take their evil actions upon himself.

[32:53] Now, as we started, we said battles and tension are difficult for us to find beauty and redemption in. But here is the chaos that God found Jonah in. And here is the chaos, it's in the midst of the chaos, that God taught Jonah about the vastness of his grace for Jonah and for the world.

[33:21] God entered into Jonah's emotional, chaotic space. And let's be honest, Jonah was kind of throwing a tantrum. Not that we can blame him. Jonah was in a bad situation. So I think most of us would throw a tantrum of equal measures if we were in his position. So Jonah is just angry and frustrated. And God sees his emotional state and he says, Jonah, have you any right to be angry? And Jonah is so angry that he doesn't even respond.

[34:00] But God didn't just abandon him. He abandoned Jonah in the midst of his anger. And I find this almost as beautiful as God's agonizing concern for the world. Because how easy would it be for the God of the universe to say, well, you're being unreasonable and walk away. But God didn't. Or how easy would it be for the God of the universe to say, you're being unreasonable, stop, and force Jonah to comply. But he didn't. God instead chose to say, wow, you're being unreasonable, let's work through this. And so he entered into Jonah's situation with him.

[34:43] Because his concern is for whole redemption. So that one day we can fully live into the perfection of God's kingdom. It is well and whole for Jonah to be able to understand why God has compassion for the enemy. It's hard.

[35:07] But it is what is ultimately well and whole. And so God worked through it with him. Now Jonah made a makeshift tent-like shelter. And it was imperfect. So God created a plant. I actually find this really funny. The name of the plant, it was Kikion.

[35:34] Nope, that was Kikeion. My Hebrew is terrible. But the name of the plant came from the word for vomit, kea, and Jonah, yon. And I think that's, God is an amusing, our God is an amusing God, with a great sense of humor. But the vomit Jonah plant was written, as a representation of his redemption. When the fish vomited Jonah onto the dry land. Jonah had said, instead of working through this, I would rather die. And God said, not yet. And he provided a fish, which would be Jonah's first redemption in the story.

[36:21] So this plant brought Jonah great joy. But it was taken away. And God has been making this demonstration. And in this demonstration, it's literally said that the plant was snatched away, bringing away the evil, bad calamity. The ra'ah. What is bad and evil.

[36:50] And making glad. So literally, Jonah's physical discomfort was snatched away when the plant grew over him. And he was made glad at God's care over him. And then the plant was taken away so that Jonah was put back into this despair state. And God having made this demonstration, brought Jonah back into the conversation they had started before in the city. Do you have a right to be angry? Only this time, angry over this plant, this creation. And Jonah once again says, yes, angry enough to die. Well, at least he's speaking now. And he's being honest. And that's what God invites us to. Real, honest, and authentic conversation. Because that's how we grow.

[37:41] And they worked through it, presumably. We don't know. Because the question at the end was left unanswered. But we're prompted to think that Jonah's answer ought to be, yes, God, you should have concern even for me, even for my enemies. And we're prompted to think that that should be our response as well.

[38:08] And that's hard. And so I'm not standing up here today and telling you that you must go on this journey of forgiveness for your oppressors, for your enemies, for those who have hurt you. I'm saying, that you should enter into conversation with God.

[38:31] And in God's timing, allow him to prompt you into the fullness of his redemption. We all have qualities of the Ninevites and the Israelites and of Jonah within us. We all stand in the need of forgiveness. And we all stand in the need of God's grace to help us forgive others.

[38:57] So as we close today, I'm going to ask you one question. And I want this to be your reflection. Here's the one question. Where are you? Are you standing in the need of God's healing? You're not even ready to think of offering the forgiveness.

[39:21] It's okay if you are there. God's presence and concern is with you in that place. Or are you in the place of needing to forgive somebody, but maybe you find it hard or painful? That's okay, because God's presence is with you in that place too.

[39:46] Are you ready to partner with God even to those risky places in your life? That's okay. God is with you. Are you standing in the need of God's redemption? Wherever you are, you are not alone. There are people here at the church who will pray with you and walk with you. Hans Zarek, myself, the deacons, any number of people, we want to partner with you.

[40:21] You need only ask. But most importantly of all, God himself is in the thick of it with you, relentlessly pursuing you and guiding you to a more free life within him. So where are you? Let's pray. God, we only ask that you may grow us into the fullness of your redemption, compassion, and concern over us and over all of your creation.

[41:03] Guide us in all of those things. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.