Okay, for those who aren't familiar with the story, Jonah was a very reluctant prophet sent by God to preach to the people of Nineveh - a place which for him was enemy territory, so not surprisingly he didn't fancy the job. Not that he was worried about his safety - no, what comes out towards the end of the book is that he didn't want to give them a last chance to repent and receive God's forgiveness. They were his enemies, as far as he was concerned they were the bad guys, and he didn't want to go and deliver God's warning, he wanted them to be punished, and punished badly. He wanted to see them suffer.
Does this ring any bells?
I wonder how it would feel for an Israeli today to be sent by God to preach to the president of Iran, for example. Or how about being sent with a message from God to Hamas HQ? Those of us who believe in Jesus have been entrusted with the Gospel, the good news of salvation available to all mankind - are we always willing to go where God sends us with this message, or do we have our own Nineveh, the places/people we don't want to preach to, because we'd much rather see them punished?
Jesus said: "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 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." (Matthew 5:44-45 NIV)
It's not always going to be easy. But then he never said that following him was going to be a doddle.
P.S. By the way, it doesn't have to be a place or a different nation, it could just be the unruly youth of your town, or your noisy neighbours, or people who cycle on the pavement. How about people who cut you up on the road? Or how about traffic wardens? Think about it. We've all got some sort of Nineveh!
