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Today, I want to reflect on Jonah and the bush.
Jonah is a famous story. But today’s chapter is the least known part of the story.
It’s the least known, but it’s the most important part of the story. The entire meaning of the story is found here.
And it revolves around Jonah and the bush.
Jonah was a prophet. Most prophets were not successful in their day. They were ignored, ridiculed and persecuted. People didn’t want to hear what they said.
But Jonah was different. He was the most successful prophet.
He went into Nineveh to proclaim judgment on them. God would destroy them because of their evil ways.
And guess what? The people listened. They put on sackcloth and fasted. They repented and turned from their evil ways.
No other prophet ever had that success!
God saw how they repented and he changed his mind. God decided not to destroy them.
If the story ended there, it would be a happy ending. A great success story.
But we see Jonah’s reaction – he was very displeased. He was even angry.
He states the reason for his displeasure:
O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning, for I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from punishment. (Jonah 4:2)
When God first called Jonah to go to Nineveh, he ran away. He got on a boat to go to Tarshish, which was the other way. But here we see why.
It wasn’t because he was a coward. It was because he knew what God was up to. God wanted to save Nineveh.
But Jonah didn’t want that. He did not like Nineveh. He did not want them to receive mercy. He believed they should receive justice.
Nineveh was a great capital of a mighty empire. They didn’t become an empire by being nice. They were violent, ruthless and evil.
Jonah saw all the evil they had done. In his mind, they should be punished.
God pursued Jonah. After Jonah got swallowed up by a big fish, he experienced God’s mercy. But he didn’t feel merciful toward Nineveh.
He finally agreed to go to Nineveh. He proclaimed judgment on them. But Jonah was hoping that God would actually follow through on it. When God showed mercy, he was bitterly disappointed.
Jonah didn’t want to be part of a world where the powerful get away with the evil they’ve done. God was being too soft. He didn’t want to follow a God that allowed the injustices in the world to go on without consequence.
So Jonah was very angry.
What did he do? He retreated. He withdrew. He disengaged.
He realized that God was not going to do anything about the evil done in the world. So he left. He left the city and made a booth to sit under the shade and simply watch.
The world we live in is a messy and difficult place. There is so much that is not right. The sheer scale of injustice and unfairness is too much to process and absorb.
So people shut down. They disengage. They stop caring about the world and choose to focus on their own comfort.
God was not upset at Jonah. Jonah turned his back on God, but God did not turn his back on Jonah.
Instead, God appointed a bush. The bush covered Jonah and provided a nice shade from the beating sun and shelter from the harsh winds. This made Jonah very happy.
God is good. God knows what we need.
He knows that life is very challenging. Many of you face obstacles and pressures at every turn. It’s a lot to handle.
So God provides a bush for us. God provides shade from the beating sun and shelter from the harsh winds of life. God wants you to be happy.
Young people these days are into this Christian singer, Forrest Frank. It’s pretty catchy. In one song, he talks about all the things he’s thankful for.
I’ve got so much to be thankful for
Look, I’ve got a roof and a bed
A couple groceries to stay fed
I’ve got a phone and clean water
And some shoes when I wanna go farther
Today, I’ve got so much to be thankful for (hey)
I woke up this morning thinking, “Thank You, Lord” (hey)
For giving me everything I could ever need and more
I’ve got so much to be thankful for (oh, yeah, run it back)
Yes, our material provisions. Our families. Friends. Your children’s successes and pursuits. Time and money to go on vacations and enjoy life.
These are things that make us happy. Our energies get directed there. And God is happy to provide them for us.
But they can become everything.
What is your bush? What takes up all of your care and concern?
The bush became everything for Jonah. It became all he cared about. He shut off the world around him and put all his care into the bush.
God appointed a worm to make the bush wither. This made Jonah so angry – angry enough to die. God took away the only thing in the world that made him happy.
Why did God do that?
This was God’s response to Jonah:
You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left and also many animals? (Jonah 4:10-11)
God uses the word “concern” twice.
The original Hebrew word is “hus”. Concern only partially captures the full meaning of the word.
“Hus” means care, pity, compassion, deep feeling for something. To lose something you “hus” about causes great anguish.
Jonah had deep feeling and anguish for the bush that was lost. So much that he wanted to die. God had deep feeling and anguish about losing the people of Nineveh.
Can you see the absurdity of the comparison? That’s what God wanted to show.
Jonah cared so much about the bush. God cared so much about 120,000 people and animals.
God wasn’t trying to be mean by taking away the bush. God wanted to open Jonah’s eyes to the bigger world of God’s care.
Jonah cared so much about something he didn’t create. God cares so much about the world he did create. God wanted Jonah to care as well.
God wanted Jonah to be happy about the bush. But he also wanted Jonah to care about the bigger world around him.
God loves you so much. God wants you to be happy. But the bush is not everything. God also has a bigger purpose for you.
Take care of your bush. When Deb’s parents come over from London, her dad always trims our shrubs and bush in front of the house. I always appreciate it.
But God wants you to care about much more than your own bush.
Jonah’s true calling was not just to preach to Nineveh. It was to change his heart to care about the world that God loves. A world that can be ugly and messy, but a world that God created and loves.
You are much more than the bush. You are made for more.
God might be calling you to connect with someone in the church and really care for them. Maybe someone at school or work really needs your care. There could be a stranger out there that God is calling you to care for.
When God took away the bush, Jonah must have been so upset. But God didn’t leave him alone in his anger. God conversed with him. I see God’s love and compassion for Jonah continuing.
He didn’t condemn Jonah or tell him what to do. He simply asked him this question: should I not care for them?
If your bush is withering, or you feel like it’s shaky, don’t be angry. Don’t give into fear.
God has not abandoned you. God cares about you just as much as the rest of the world. God will take care of you.
But in this situation, God might be trying to open up a bigger world for you.
Take this time to listen. Listen to what God is saying in your heart. See where God is leading you.
God will open up new things for you.
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