Love Your Enemies?

 

He prayed to the LORD and said, “Oh, LORD, this is just what I thought would happen when I was in my own country. This is what I tried to prevent by attempting to escape to Tarshish! – because I knew that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgement. Jonah 4:2

 The Ninevites were Jonah’s enemies. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, which had harassed and terrorized Israel for a long time. In many ways, it could be likened to our modern enemy of al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda and other groups have kept the world on its toes, always waiting for the next bomb to drop, both literally and figuratively.

 On September 11^th, 2001, they perpetrated multiple acts of terrorism on the US using planes to crash into both of the Twin Towers in New York City as well as the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. A fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers on the airplane banded together to stop the terrorists, preventing the plane from reaching its intended target. These attacks killed 2,977 people initially, though many more have experienced long term effects, both physically and psychologically. On September 16^th of the same year, President George W. Bush announced the “War on Terror.” This was not a war against a particular nation, but against terrorism as a whole, with its ringleaders as particular targets.

 As often happens in war, hatred grew amongst Americans towards the people we were fighting. It makes it easier to kill, or wish someone dead, when you hate them. Our country saw a rise in racial profiling of anyone who looked like they were of Middle-Eastern descent. Hate crimes abounded, both large and small. Once more, and in one more way, people were hated for the color of their skin, the shape of their face, what they wore on their head.

 I see Jonah as someone who was deeply affected by an incident like 9-11. He was either raised to hate Assyrians, or had something happen in his life that inspired that deep-seated hatred. It was so all-encompassing that it defied logic. He was a fanatic, a Nationalist. He saw his country, Israel, as being pure and good and righteous, and its enemies as being evil and worthy of destruction. This conviction took him so far as to run from God, the One to whom his nation was devoted. Jonah was familiar enough with God and His grace and mercy that, when he was commanded to go to Nineveh, the center of his nation’s enemy, and proclaim their destruction, he quick stepped to the nearest port to go as far in the opposite direction as possible. You see, Jonah knew that if the people of Nineveh were to repent, that God might withhold His judgement upon them (Jonah 4:2).

 Of course, we’ve read about how God helped Jonah to change his mind. It seems that Jonah was willing to obey after his encounter with the storm and the whale, though it did not change his heart. From the belly of the whale, Jonah prayed to God, “I went down to the very bottoms of the mountains; the gates of the netherworld barred me in forever; but you brought me up from the Pit, O LORD, my God. ... But as for me, I promise to offer a sacrifice to you with a public declaration of praise; I will surely do what I have promised. Salvation belongs to the LORD!" (Jonah 2:6,9). He was grateful for God’s mercy toward himself, but that’s where it ended.

 After his preaching in Nineveh, Jonah set himself up a shelter outside of town to, “See what would happen to the city.” He already knew that Nineveh had repented and that likely meant that God would not destroy it, He said as much to God in chapter 4 verses 2&3. But maybe he hoped that God would follow through after all. In Jonah’s mind, these Ninevites most certainly deserved destruction, so he must have figured it was so obvious that God would figure it out too.

 God, in His infinite mercy, gave Jonah one more example to teach him about how He thinks. God caused a plant to grow overnight to become a shade for Jonah in the hot sun. Jonah was delighted by the little plant. Then, the next morning, God caused a worm to attack the plant so that it dried up. This plant had only been there for one day. Jonah had not worked to create the plant in any way, nor had he done anything to sustain it. But when it died, Jonah was distraught. God did help this along a bit by sending the sun and the hot east wind, but it seems it was all a part of the lesson He was attempting to teach Jonah. Yet again, Jonah despaired of life, and said, “I would rather die than live.” (Jonah 4:8).

 Here, God attempted to teach Jonah a lesson. Jonah was so distraught over a plant, again one that he had not planted, or watered, or done anything to cause to grow. How much more so did God care for the 120,000 people and their animals that lived in the city of Nineveh, all of which God had created?

 And that’s the last we hear from God, or Jonah, on the subject. We are left to wonder if Jonah ever got it. If it ever ended up making sense to him, or he ended up dying a bitter, resentful old man.

 And now we are left with the lesson, with the same opportunity in many ways. How will we see our enemy? Will we only see their actions towards us, or will we see them as a person created in the image of God, created by God. Will we see their sins and want them punished, or will we recognize our own sinfulness and know that the grace God extended towards us is extended to them as well? Will we open our arms to greet them as brothers and sisters in Christ, or turn our back and complain to God about their salvation?

Here's the Thing: In our Zoom Bible study a week ago, a friend shared a thought she had heard recently from a speaker (her pastor?). Is there anyone in your life that if you heard today that they had come to Christ and been saved, you would be disappointed? That struck deep. Does anyone come to mind for you? If so, I encourage you to take that to God before hopping on another ship!