Jonah and the Plant

Jonah was not pleased when God showed mercy to Nineveh. He was very angry and prayed that this was why he had wanted to flee before. He knew God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and full of loving kindness. Jonah was so upset that he said he would rather die than live.

The Lord answered Jonah with a question: was it right for him to be angry? Jonah went out to the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat in its shade, waiting to see what would become of Nineveh.

Then the Lord God prepared a vine to grow up over Jonah. Its shade helped him in his discomfort, and Jonah was very glad because of the vine. But at dawn the next day, God prepared a worm, and it chewed the vine so that it withered.

When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind. The sun beat on Jonah’s head until he grew faint. Again Jonah said he would rather die than live. God asked him if it was right to be angry about the vine, and Jonah said he was angry enough to die.

Then the Lord explained the lesson. Jonah cared about a vine he had not worked for and had not made grow. It came up in a night and perished in a night. So should not God care for Nineveh, that great city, with more than one hundred and twenty thousand people who could not tell their right hand from their left, and also many animals? What does this teach us about God’s compassion?