“Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4, 8) 

Twice, God asked Jonah this question. The first time, Jonah did not seem to respond. He went out of the city and sat on its east side to see what would become of the city (Jonah 4:5). The second time, however, Jonah retorted against God, even expressing a desire to die: “It is better for me to die than to live” (Jonah 4:8). This was the same sentiment he had expressed earlier in his anger (Jonah 4:3). 

Jonah believed he deserved the shade God had provided while Nineveh deserved judgment. After all, Nineveh and the Assyrian empire were a military threat to God’s people. To Jonah, it made no sense for God to show mercy to such an evil people. He resented God’s compassion toward Israel’s enemies. Yet, in his anger, Jonah failed to see the irony: he himself was also in need of God’s grace and mercy. After all, it was also God who had been merciful to him by preparing a plant to give him shade (Jonah 4:6).

On the surface, Jonah seemed to be angry about the plant, a seemingly trivial matter. But his outburst revealed a deeper issue: a heart filled with dissatisfaction and resentment. Why should an innocent plant wither while the wicked people of Nineveh were spared?

Like Jonah, we have all experienced anger at some point. In those moments, did we think we were right and reasonable for being angry? Perhaps deep down, we may not think so. Yet, instead of reflecting on our emotions, we often justify ourselves, clinging to the belief that we were right. Over time, we may regret our anger, or even continue to rationalise it. Jonah’s dissatisfaction grew because he believed God was wrong. He failed to recognise his own inconsistency. Jonah wished for the destruction of Nineveh rather than its repentance. His inconsistency revealed that his anger was not right. 

What about us today? Do we have similar inconsistencies in our hearts? The next time we feel angry, let us pause and ask ourselves: Is it right for me to be angry?