Matthew 5:43-48
Love for Enemies
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Jonah 4:1-11
Jonah’s Anger at the Lord’s Compassion
1 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. 2 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. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 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. 6 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. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. 8 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.”
9 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.”
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?”
Matthew 9:36
Jesus Compassion for Man
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Matthew 10:29
God's Compassion for the Sparrow
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.
It is one thing to say love your enemies, and another to go out to do that very thing...Jesus really raises the love bar for us in this teaching...Jonah had this problem (of loving his enemies)...The Assyrians from Nineveh were enemies of the nation of Israel, and now God has ask Jonah to go and help them...There are things we like to do, and things we do not like to do, and God has chosen one of those things for Jonah that he did not want or like to do -to go to Nineveh and preach against their wickedness...Man gets angry and bitter at times, and we can stay in this mood for quite sometime...It seems that throughout the Book of Jonah, that he is mad, bitter, unhappy, and running from God...He seems to forget that God is everywhere, and there is no where he can hide from Him...He was disobedient to the calling of God...And in this sense Jonah is lucky...For there are times when we run from God (and are disobedient to Him), that He lets us run and be away from Him...And we wind up further away from Him than what we need or would like to be...
God and Jesus are full of great compassion...They know how to Love Their neighbor and Their enemies...Our heavenly Father and His Son are perfect...Man on the other hand shows bitterness and anger towards an enemy...We often find it difficult to love our enemies...Jonah knew that God is full of compassion, and he is bitter about Him trying to get the Ninevites to repent...Jonah did not want to be the one to help any enemy of Israel...God may love our enemies, and Jonah certainly did not want to understand this -and he lets it be known to Him...Jonah knew a loving God who relents in sending us calamity, and is slow in anger and abounding in Love would try to help the enemy of his country... Jonah remains bitter and angry at God for helping his country's enemies...
After his preaching, Jonah goes to a place east of the city and waits to see what is going to happen to the city that he did a revival for...It is hot in the Near East and God provides Jonah with some shade...Then the next day God sends a worm to chew on the plant and Jonah's shade is gone...Now angry about the worm chewing the plant, Jonah grows hot and asks the LORD to die...God questions Him about the great city of Nineveh and how a hundred and twenty thousand people needed to repent...The LORD wanted to help them, and also their animals...
Jesus has compassion for man and the animals of the earth...Even a sparrow is in God's care...But man can get into bitter, negative, and angry moods and remain in them for quite sometime...It is very difficult to love others, let alone an enemy when we are in these types of moods...When we have an attitude like this, it is difficult to love our neighbor, let alone an enemy...To learn this and many of the teachings of Jesus we must be positive, with a healthy attitude, and in a mood that is upbeat and kind and loving...
We learn the providence of God in the Jonah story, as well learning about His compassion for man and animals...Jonah was mad when he tried to flee God, mad when he was forced to preach to the city, and mad when a shady plant has dried up...And (in the story) Jonah never relents from his anger and being mad...We are left when the story concludes with a bitter, angry Jonah -and a God who wants to Love and find good in all of us...
And that is the way this story ends thousand of years ago...God showing great grace to man and man being angry and bitter toward an enemy and helping an enemy...Its possible, that story is with us even today...That story is we do not love all of our neighbors, but God wants us too...