The Sad Case of Self-Righteousness | Jonah 4
Do you struggle with entitlement? Entitlement is the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment. Most of us would say, “No, but I know someone who does.” Entitlement is a big deal in the American culture. It is the air that we breathe. Entitlement is the highest platform we can fall from. We all think that we deserve more than we have, yet we all have more than we deserve. It’s been said that when entitlement is high, gratitude is low, and where gratitude is high, entitlement is low. A few years ago, I was in the city of Erbil in NIQ, close to Nineveh, and for the seven days I was there, I only saw one cloud. This is that cloud. (Picture). It had been a very difficult trip. It was a long flight to get there and connection trouble. It was ridiculously hot. The conditions of the people were terrible, and working out in the refugee camps for hours was brutal. Someone accidentally shattered my new iPhone while trying to take a picture. There were issues back home. I went outside on a walk and had a pity party for myself when this cloud arose. At that moment, it was like God said: Alan, look at everything I have given you. You don’t live here; you live in the comforts of America. You have a house with electricity, running water, and air conditioning. You don’t live in a tent in a refugee camp. You are going to heaven. Why are you feeling sorry for yourself? I have blessed you so much. Suddenly, my attitude changed. I was grateful. The whole trip changed. Guess what happened? As soon as I got home, reality hit, and I forgot everything God taught me then. I walked inside my house after a long flight and a hard trip. No one was home, and there was no food in the house. I was so angry and had another pity party. I forgot I had a house to come home to, with AC and running water. I had a wife and kids who loved me and Jesus in my heart.
Jonah struggled with entitlement. He believed that he was entitled to the grace of God and that others were not. God called Jonah to go somewhere he didn’t want to go and do something he didn’t want to do. It took a big fish to get Jonah to the place of obedience. God sent him out of the fish in the most merciful way possible. God doesn’t just call, but He calls back. Jonah finally obeyed God and preached a 5-word sermon, and the entire city repented, and revival broke out. Yet, what happens next is one of the most perplexing and mysterious endings in the Bible. In Chapter 4, we see Jonah’s rage is met by God’s response that is both painful and loving for Jonah.