The Plant That Taught a Prophet About Compassion

10 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. 11 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 4:10-11

How do you feel when good things happen to other people?

That probably depends heavily on who the other people are. It is easy to rejoice when someone we love is blessed. It can be much harder when the person is against us, causes us problems, or believes very differently from us.

Jonah learned that lesson the hard way. God had sent him to preach to a city called Nineveh. Jonah did not . . . . want to go. He wanted nothing to do with those people. Yet after God rescued him from the sea, Jonah finally went and preached.

Then something remarkable happened. Nineveh repented. You might expect Jonah to celebrate. God’s Word had reached thousands of hearts! Instead, Jonah became angry because God showed mercy to people Jonah did not think deserved it.

So God taught him with a plant. The plant grew and gave Jonah shade. Then a worm destroyed it. As Jonah suffered under the hot sun, God pointed out the problem. Jonah cared deeply about losing his own comfort, but he had little compassion for an entire city of people.

Can we become so concerned about our own comfort, preferences, and problems that we barely notice how much others need God’s grace?

God is gracious and compassionate. He does not hand out mercy only to people we like. Pray that God’s Word brings repentance and faith to many. Pray even for people you find difficult to love. And when you see God pouring out his mercy on anyone – really anyone – rejoice! God is simply being who he is, gracious and compassionate.