God Shows Compassion, 17 August 2025
God Shows Compassion
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
Jonah: God's Grace for All Nations
August 17, 2025
Jonah 4
Series Big Idea: Jonah is a remarkable story about life and death(s).
Big Idea: God’s love is available to all, Jew and Gentile alike.
We’ve been studying the book of Jonah for the past few weeks and today we conclude with chapter four. The most famous part of the story was obviously Jonah being swallowed by—and later vomited by—a large fish. But why was Jonah in the fish? He disobeyed God when told to go to Nineveh. But why didn’t Jonah want to go to Nineveh?
Throughout this series, we’ve noted how the life of a prophet was not an easy one. They were given messages by God to deliver to people who were often enemies of God. The message was typically, “Repent! Turn! Say ‘yes’ to God! Surrender! Get on your knees!
In chapter 3, Jonah finally goes to Nineveh, tells the people to repent, and they do! I used to think Jonah avoided Nineveh because he was afraid of failure, wasting his breath on people uninterested in God. The opposite was true. The people—led by the king—not only repented, they put on sackcloth and fasted to show their sincerity and desperation. God
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. (Jonah 3:10)
God shows compassion and the Ninevites are spared of God’s wrath. This is wonderful news!
But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. (Jonah 4:1)
What? He was a successful prophet. The people repented. Revival broke out. What’s the problem?
He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. (Jonah 4:2)
He didn’t want God to love Nineveh. He hated this city, as many Jews did. He hated these people and didn’t want God to show love, grace, and compassion. He wanted to see his enemies destroyed!
Have you ever felt that way? Are there people you hate? Be honest. It might be a particular person or group. Who are “those people” in your life? It could be people with different race, religion, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. Maybe it’s our president, the last one, Putin, or Elon Musk. Do they deserve God’s grace and love more than you?
Maybe it was Osama bin Ladin or Saddam Hussein, Hitler,…or that person responsible for that huge loss in your life…they killed your loved one, caused you to lose your job, or stole your innocence. Do they deserve God’s grace and love more than you?
Jonah is so angry about God loving “those people,” he says,
Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” (Jonah 4:3)
He’d rather die than see the Ninevites live! This is serious hatred. Before we move on, perhaps you can relate.
But the LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4)
Who is the object of Jonah’s anger, the Ninevites or God? Jonah is angry because God is slow to anger! He wants to die because God lets the Ninevites live.
It’s ok to be real with God, but don’t be surprised if He responds with truth. God is God and we’re not. We may struggle to love or forgive, but that’s what He does. That’s who He is. That’s great news for us…and “the world” that God so loved. We are all “better than we deserve.” But we should never hoard God’s love. We are to share it with others.
I have a friend who told me he struggled to pray for a particular government leader. I thought if God gripped the heart of this leader, they would make God-honoring decisions and make the world a better place. Everyone wins when someone surrenders to Jesus. Right?
Now we come to one of the strangest stories in the Bible.
Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. (Jonah 4:5)
He delivered his message, the people repented, and he sticks around to see what’s next.
Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. (Jonah 4:6)
God still loves Jonah after his bad attitude. The LORD provides a plant for shade…and Jonah was “very happy” about the plant.
But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. (Jonah 4:7)
The LORD gives, the LORD takes away. The text doesn’t just tell us about the hungry worm. It says God provided it. Can you imagine Jonah’s anger now? The one thing in his life that makes him happy, the plant, is now eaten by this stupid worm!
When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” (Jonah 4:8)
This is the second time Jonah makes this declaration. He’s not the only person in the Bible who had suicidal ideation.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who does, there’s a new simple hotline number: 988. Make a note of it, and if you are struggling, people tell someone. No matter the reason, help is available, and you matter to us and you matter to God.
But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.” (Jonah 4:9)
I appreciate Jonah’s honesty, but doesn’t he sound like a child? What an attitude!
But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. (Jonah 4:10)
True! Now for the grand finale of the book. Are you ready? God says to Jonah,
And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” (Jonah 4:11)
That’s it! The book of Jonah ends with a question mark! The book of Nahum is the only other book of the Bible that ends with a question mark. What’s the answer to the question? Should God love the people of Nineveh? Yes! Should God love the people of Findlay? Yes! Should God so love the world? He does!
So What?
When all is said and done, this book is not about a fish. It’s not even about Jonah. It’s about a God who a loving, gracious, forgiving, compassionate God.
The context of the book of Jonah is the tension between Jews and Gentiles. When Jesus arrives hundreds of years later, he declared good news for not only Jews but also us Gentiles, too. We’re grafted in. Jesus died for us, too! Hallelujah! In the book of Acts,
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. (Acts 10:34-35)
Fear here is not spooky, but awe and reverence. God doesn’t have favorites. We’re all entitled to receive His love, and we should celebrate that. There is nothing in this world greater than God’s transforming love, and history is filled with examples of people repenting of their evil deeds, surrendering to Jesus, and being used for God’s glory, including Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9), King Manasseh of Judah (2 Chronicles 33), John Newton (1725-1807), and former gang leader Nicky Cruz.
God’s love is available to all, Jew and Gentile alike.
One commentator wrote,
“It’s not as if we should never desire justice. It is good news when an oppressor is toppled, the terrorist caught, the torturer brought to justice. The great danger is that instead of simply rejoicing at the vindication of the oppressed, we self-righteously identify ourselves as the oppressed, taking pity on ourselves and not on the others. In our imaginations, Yahweh becomes a weapon in our campaign to destroy our enemies, an instrument of our own revenge rather than the righteous judge of the earth.”
Are you ok with God loving your enemies? Jesus died for them, too.
Kirk Schneemann
College First Church of God
Jonah: God's Grace for All Nations
August 17, 2025
Jonah 4
Series Big Idea: Jonah is a remarkable story about life and death(s).
Big Idea: God’s love is available to all, Jew and Gentile alike.
We’ve been studying the book of Jonah for the past few weeks and today we conclude with chapter four. The most famous part of the story was obviously Jonah being swallowed by—and later vomited by—a large fish. But why was Jonah in the fish? He disobeyed God when told to go to Nineveh. But why didn’t Jonah want to go to Nineveh?
Throughout this series, we’ve noted how the life of a prophet was not an easy one. They were given messages by God to deliver to people who were often enemies of God. The message was typically, “Repent! Turn! Say ‘yes’ to God! Surrender! Get on your knees!
In chapter 3, Jonah finally goes to Nineveh, tells the people to repent, and they do! I used to think Jonah avoided Nineveh because he was afraid of failure, wasting his breath on people uninterested in God. The opposite was true. The people—led by the king—not only repented, they put on sackcloth and fasted to show their sincerity and desperation. God
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened. (Jonah 3:10)
God shows compassion and the Ninevites are spared of God’s wrath. This is wonderful news!
But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. (Jonah 4:1)
What? He was a successful prophet. The people repented. Revival broke out. What’s the problem?
He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. (Jonah 4:2)
He didn’t want God to love Nineveh. He hated this city, as many Jews did. He hated these people and didn’t want God to show love, grace, and compassion. He wanted to see his enemies destroyed!
Have you ever felt that way? Are there people you hate? Be honest. It might be a particular person or group. Who are “those people” in your life? It could be people with different race, religion, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. Maybe it’s our president, the last one, Putin, or Elon Musk. Do they deserve God’s grace and love more than you?
Maybe it was Osama bin Ladin or Saddam Hussein, Hitler,…or that person responsible for that huge loss in your life…they killed your loved one, caused you to lose your job, or stole your innocence. Do they deserve God’s grace and love more than you?
Jonah is so angry about God loving “those people,” he says,
Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” (Jonah 4:3)
He’d rather die than see the Ninevites live! This is serious hatred. Before we move on, perhaps you can relate.
But the LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4)
Who is the object of Jonah’s anger, the Ninevites or God? Jonah is angry because God is slow to anger! He wants to die because God lets the Ninevites live.
It’s ok to be real with God, but don’t be surprised if He responds with truth. God is God and we’re not. We may struggle to love or forgive, but that’s what He does. That’s who He is. That’s great news for us…and “the world” that God so loved. We are all “better than we deserve.” But we should never hoard God’s love. We are to share it with others.
I have a friend who told me he struggled to pray for a particular government leader. I thought if God gripped the heart of this leader, they would make God-honoring decisions and make the world a better place. Everyone wins when someone surrenders to Jesus. Right?
Now we come to one of the strangest stories in the Bible.
Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. (Jonah 4:5)
He delivered his message, the people repented, and he sticks around to see what’s next.
Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. (Jonah 4:6)
God still loves Jonah after his bad attitude. The LORD provides a plant for shade…and Jonah was “very happy” about the plant.
But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. (Jonah 4:7)
The LORD gives, the LORD takes away. The text doesn’t just tell us about the hungry worm. It says God provided it. Can you imagine Jonah’s anger now? The one thing in his life that makes him happy, the plant, is now eaten by this stupid worm!
When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” (Jonah 4:8)
This is the second time Jonah makes this declaration. He’s not the only person in the Bible who had suicidal ideation.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who does, there’s a new simple hotline number: 988. Make a note of it, and if you are struggling, people tell someone. No matter the reason, help is available, and you matter to us and you matter to God.
But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.” (Jonah 4:9)
I appreciate Jonah’s honesty, but doesn’t he sound like a child? What an attitude!
But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. (Jonah 4:10)
True! Now for the grand finale of the book. Are you ready? God says to Jonah,
And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” (Jonah 4:11)
That’s it! The book of Jonah ends with a question mark! The book of Nahum is the only other book of the Bible that ends with a question mark. What’s the answer to the question? Should God love the people of Nineveh? Yes! Should God love the people of Findlay? Yes! Should God so love the world? He does!
So What?
When all is said and done, this book is not about a fish. It’s not even about Jonah. It’s about a God who a loving, gracious, forgiving, compassionate God.
The context of the book of Jonah is the tension between Jews and Gentiles. When Jesus arrives hundreds of years later, he declared good news for not only Jews but also us Gentiles, too. We’re grafted in. Jesus died for us, too! Hallelujah! In the book of Acts,
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. (Acts 10:34-35)
Fear here is not spooky, but awe and reverence. God doesn’t have favorites. We’re all entitled to receive His love, and we should celebrate that. There is nothing in this world greater than God’s transforming love, and history is filled with examples of people repenting of their evil deeds, surrendering to Jesus, and being used for God’s glory, including Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9), King Manasseh of Judah (2 Chronicles 33), John Newton (1725-1807), and former gang leader Nicky Cruz.
God’s love is available to all, Jew and Gentile alike.
One commentator wrote,
“It’s not as if we should never desire justice. It is good news when an oppressor is toppled, the terrorist caught, the torturer brought to justice. The great danger is that instead of simply rejoicing at the vindication of the oppressed, we self-righteously identify ourselves as the oppressed, taking pity on ourselves and not on the others. In our imaginations, Yahweh becomes a weapon in our campaign to destroy our enemies, an instrument of our own revenge rather than the righteous judge of the earth.”
Are you ok with God loving your enemies? Jesus died for them, too.