Exploring the Meaning of Jonah 4
Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff
In this fourth chapter of the Book of Jonah, (Jonah 4), the prophet Jonah has a strange reaction to his success. He's angry, and sulky. He thinks he knows better than God does. What is this story about?
Rev. George McCurdy, in his exegesis of this chapter, offers a summary in his Study Guide for the Book of Jonah, which is available for free as a .pdf, for your use. Below, we've excerpted part of his summary, and edited it for use in this context.
The people of the Jewish church in Jonah's time didn't want to reconsider their belief in their "most-favored-nation status." They challenged the Lord. They couldn't understand why He wanted to save their enemies in Nineveh.
Despite the hard lessons in chapters 1 and 2, and his success as described in chapter 3, Jonah still thought he knew better than the Lord. He thought that God was being too soft and loving -- too forgiving -- and that He needed to come around to Jonah’s tougher view.
Jonah got so angry and vengeful that he preferred to die rather than approve of the Lord’s way to save the Ninevites. His self-love wanted shade -- protection for its concepts. The Lord needed to bring such thinking to an end; the worm brought about death to the gourd from within. The Lord then sent a vehement east wind, that represents a blowing away of the stagnant thinking of the church.
The Lord's heavenly sun shone upon Jonah, but he felt faint. Here, Jonah's insistence on his own troubling view of things made him uncomfortable with the Lord’s view. The Divine guidance offered him a way to learn to enjoy the success of his neighbors as his own, but he wouldn't take it.
For us, then -- what? This story is telling us that we can't just keep the truths of the Word for ourselves; we have to go to Nineveh and share them. And then, if people start to hear them, and use them to turn their lives around, we can't allow ourselves to get resentful that the Lord accepts their repentance and forgives them. It's a very human reaction; think of the disciples vying to be first in the Lord's command structure (Luke 9:46), or the brother of the prodigal son (Luke 15:28-29), or the workers in the vineyard who had worked all day for a denarius (Matthew 20:10-12). But... it's not a good reaction. The Lord doesn't admire it in Jonah, and doesn't admire it when it crops up in our minds, either.
Rev. Martin Pennington recommends several explanatory passages from Swedenborg's theological writings:
"Shade or shadow means the perception of good and truth lies in obscurity." (Arcana Coelestia 2367)
"A vine is spiritual good (the spiritual church)". (Arcana Coelestia 217)
"A worm represents falsity gnawing away and tormenting one." (Arcana Coelestia 8481)
"'And the sun grew hot' in the contrary sense means self-love and love of the world." (Arcana Coelestia 8487)
And... here's a link to an interesting (audio) sermon on this chapter, by Rev. Todd Beiswenger.
Matthew 20
1
For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
2
And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3
And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4
And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
5
Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
6
And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
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They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
8
So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9
And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
10
But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
11
And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
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Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13
But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
14
Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
15
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
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So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
17
And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
18
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
19
And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
20
Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
21
And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.
22
But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
23
And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
24
And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren.
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But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
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But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
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And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
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Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
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And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him.
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And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
31
And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
32
And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?
33
They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
34
So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
