Jonah 4:1-11
Psalm 86:3-6, 9-10
Luke 11:1-4
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SELFISH JUSTICE IS UNJUST
"This is why I fled at first to Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish." —Jonah 4:2
Jonah at first refused to call the Ninevites to repentance because he refused to forgive them for the atrocities they had committed against his people. Jonah’s attitude of unforgiveness would have been viewed by most Israelites of his time as a cry for justice, not seeing that it was actually masking Jonah’s selfishness.
The Lord unmasked Jonah’s selfishness by sending a worm to wilt the plant that gave Jonah cool shade (Jon 4:7). Jonah became so upset about losing his “air conditioner” that he wished he was dead (see Jon 4:8). Jonah cared more about his own comfort than about the lives of 120,000 Ninevites (see Jon 4:10-11).
God is just (see Dt 32:4). Therefore, His followers must stand up for justice. However, sometimes our cries for justice are deceptive. What we call justice may be an excuse for indulging our selfishness, our unforgiveness. For example, many people promote capital punishment as an expression of justice. However, if we have not forgiven even the worst offenders 70x7 times (Mt 18:22), our cries for justice may be excuses for selfishness. This is fundamentally unjust.
Prayer: Father, may Your love break the spell of selfishness in my life.
Promise: "Forgive us our sins for we too forgive all who do us wrong." —Lk 11:4
Praise: Alice's non-Christian parents put her in Catholic school to receive a good education. In second grade, the children recited the Rosary. Alice asked her parents to pray it with her at home, so she could learn it better. Decades later, her parents are now Catholic, Alice is a religious sister, and is principal of a Catholic school.
(For a related teaching on The Book of Forgiveness, view, download or order our booklet on our website.)
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