Jesus: Jonah's Compassionate God
Can God be Any More Compassionate?
The start of the Christmas season has been a topic of debate. In the West, some consider it begins right after Thanksgiving, while others, even in India, feel it starts with the chilly winds of November. The general agreement, it seems, is that the Christmas season officially kicks off as soon as December begins.
The Christmas season often becomes a time for reminiscing. You will frequently hear phrases like, "Oh! Remember last Christmas, we did that!" Some people take a stroll down memory lane, recalling childhood moments. The Christmas season triggers memories of good times with family, delicious meals, and the fellowship we enjoyed in Church. These memories add to the excitement for Christmas. However, this time, as you reflect on the past, I would like to invite you to go even further back, 2000 years, to the birth of Jesus, and consider how compassionate our God is.
The theme of a compassionate God is fundamental to the book of Jonah. In this narrative, we witness God's compassion not only towards the people of Nineveh but also towards Jonah. Termed the ‘Prodigal Prophet’ by Tim Keller, Jonah flees to Tarshish when God calls him to go to Nineveh. The reasons behind Jonah's escape are a subject of much discussion, yet we can identify two primary causes.
Firstly, historically, Assyria was known as one of the cruelest and most violent nations of ancient times. Archaeologists have uncovered stone plates illustrating the torture Assyrians inflicted on their enemies. Given Assyria's status as the greatest enemy of Israel, Jonah faced a high risk of being killed if he preached judgment in Nineveh.
Secondly, Jonah was a patriot and a nationalist, as evident in 2 Kings 14:23-27. If Nineveh repented after Jonah's message, it meant they would be spared, posing a disaster for Israel. This prompted Jonah to run away. Throughout the book, we observe God's compassion for Jonah. Despite Jonah's disobedience, God attempts to bring him back, using towering storms and gentle counsel at different times.
In the final chapter of the book of Jonah, God employs gentle counsel to help Jonah understand the mercy and grace He had shown, an experience Jonah himself had encountered in the stomach of the big fish. This time, God uses a plant and a worm to convey His message. God argues, "Jonah, if you can have compassion on a plant which you did not work for, how can I not have compassion for the people of Nineveh?" What's intriguing is the word God uses for compassion in Jonah 4:10-11, which depicts the idea of weeping over something. Therefore, when God says He has compassion for the people of Nineveh, it essentially means He is weeping for them- weeping for their evil, weeping because they lack the understanding of right from wrong. This illustrates the depth of God's compassion as He attaches Himself to the people and weeps over their condition.
This same compassion led Jesus to Earth on Christmas Day. Jesus embodies the human form of that compassionate and weeping God we see in Jonah 4. Jesus surpasses what Jonah should have been and goes beyond. Throughout His life, we witness Jesus having compassion for people. He weeps over Jerusalem and its people. Even on the cross, Jesus calls upon the Father, asking for forgiveness for the people. Why does He do that? Because "they do not know what they are doing." Essentially, Jesus is expressing that they are morally and spiritually blind. What incredible compassion for the people!
If we pose the question, "Can God be any more compassionate?" The straightforward answer is a resounding no. There is nothing more that God can do for us; in Jesus, He did everything He could. This Christmas season let us reflect on the compassion of God that has been showered upon us. Take a moment to contemplate the love, mercy, grace, and compassion of God that came to us through Jesus Christ.
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