Jonah: Embracing the Other: Part 1
120,000 At Risk: Do We Care?
In this message, Pastor Steph continues our summer series in Jonah with a message from Jonah 3. She contrasts Jonah’s reluctance to see God’s mercy extended to Nineveh with Jesus’ call to love our enemies, challenging us to pursue peace, extend grace, and reflect God’s heart even toward those we find difficult to love.
Message Summary
In this sermon from Jonah chapter 3, Pastor Steph draws a powerful parallel between Jonah’s reluctance to minister to the Ninevites and our modern tendency to write off people we consider enemies or “others.” Jonah knew God’s character well enough to fear that God might spare Nineveh if they repented, and that is exactly why He ran. His patriotism and hatred of Israel’s oppressors caused him to dehumanize an entire city of 120,000 people. Yet God used even Jonah’s half-hearted proclamation to bring about repentance and restoration.
Pastor Steph then turns to Matthew 5 and Romans 12 to show that Jesus calls His followers to something far more radical than tolerance. Using the Greek word agapeo, she explains that we are called to show genuine favor, goodwill, and shalom to those we would consider enemies. The story of Michael Weisser, a Jewish cantor who responded to KKK threats with persistent kindness and eventually welcomed his persecutor into his home, illustrates what it looks like to refuse to become what hatred wants you to become. The challenge is clear: choose the way of Jesus over the way of Jonah, and actively pursue peace with those on the other side of the aisle.
Intro Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come before you today as a group of people who want to grow in your love and your truth. We ask that you would open our hearts and our minds to what you want to speak to us today. Remove any pride, any defensiveness, or any walls we have built up around ourselves. Holy Spirit, guide our conversation, soften our hearts, and help us to see one another and the world around us through your eyes. May this time together draw us closer to you and to each other.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Ice Breaker
What is one food or meal that you would make if you were trying to impress a very special guest coming to your home for dinner?
Key Scriptures
Jonah 3:1-4
Matthew 5:43-48
Romans 12:14-21
Jonah 4:1-3
Questions
- Pastor Steph described Jonah as someone who classified the Ninevites as ‘other’ and dehumanized them in his mind. Can you think of a time when you have done something similar with a person or a group of people? What led you to that place?
- Jonah knew God’s character well enough to know that God might spare Nineveh, and that is part of why He ran. How does knowing who God is actually challenge us to act differently toward people we would rather see judged than saved?
- Jesus uses the word agapeo in Matthew 5, calling us to show genuine favor and goodwill to our enemies, not just tolerate them. What is the difference between tolerating someone and truly showing them shalom? What does that look like practically?
- Romans 12 describes a peace that is not just the absence of conflict but the active pursuit of the other person’s good. Where in your life are you settling for a false peace, simply avoiding conflict rather than genuinely pursuing shalom?
- In the story of Michael Weisser and Larry Trapp, Michael saw a suffering man beneath the hatred. How does looking for the pain beneath someone’s hostility or opposition change the way you might respond to them?
- Pastor Steph challenged the group to have coffee or a meal with someone who holds a very different viewpoint on a major issue. What makes that feel risky or uncomfortable? What would it take for you to actually do it?
- The sermon pointed out that God used Jonah’s reluctant and minimal proclamation anyway. What does that tell us about God’s heart for people who are lost, and what does it say about our excuses for not engaging with those we find difficult?
- Jonah became angry when God showed mercy to Nineveh. Have you ever found yourself resentful when someone you considered an enemy received grace or blessing? How does the gospel speak to that kind of heart posture?
Life Application
This week, identify one person or one group that you have been treating as ‘other’ in your heart. Take a concrete step toward shalom by reaching out to have a cup of coffee or a meal with someone who holds a significantly different viewpoint than you on a major issue. Go into that conversation with one goal: to listen and to see the person in front of you as someone made in the image of God. Do not go to debate, to convince, or to win. Simply be present, hear their story, and offer them the dignity of being truly seen.
Key Takeaways
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- Classifying people as ‘other’ leads to dehumanization, and that is exactly what Jonah did with the Ninevites. God calls us to resist that impulse and to see every person as someone made in His image.
- Jesus calls His followers to agapeo love, a love that actively shows favor, goodwill, and shalom even to those who oppose or persecute us. This goes far beyond simply tolerating people we disagree with.
- The peace we are called to pursue is not the false peace of avoidance or silence. It is the shalom of genuinely wanting the full flourishing and good of the other person, even when it costs us something.
- God can use even reluctant and imperfect obedience to accomplish his purposes, but His heart is always for the lost. Our resentment or indifference toward those outside the faith is not his heart.
- The story of Michael Weisser and Larry Trapp shows that one person’s stubborn, patient refusal to become an enemy can break through decades of hatred. We are each capable of that kind of love through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ending Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank you for this time together and for the challenge your word has placed before us. We confess that it is far easier to stay comfortable, to stay on our side of the aisle, and to write off those who are different from us. Forgive us for the times we have been more like Jonah than like you. Give us the courage to step out, to see the pain beneath the hostility, and to offer shalom to the people in our lives who feel most like enemies. Holy Spirit, go before us this week as we take steps toward those we have avoided. Let your love flow through us in ways that are beyond our own ability. May the people around us encounter you through the way we treat them. In the name of Jesus, who loved us while we were still His enemies, amen.
5-Day Devotional Guide
Day 1: Seeing the Person Behind the Label
It is easy to reduce people to a category. We do it without thinking. Someone holds a different political view, comes from a different background, or has hurt us deeply, and suddenly they become less of a person in our minds and more of a problem to be avoided. That is exactly what Jonah did with the people of Nineveh. He knew they were real people, 120,000 of them, living everyday lives. But he had decided they did not deserve his compassion, or God’s. Here is the hard truth: when we reduce someone to their worst characteristics, we stop seeing the image of God in them. And when we stop seeing that, we become capable of a coldness that surprises even us. You do not have to agree with someone to recognize their humanity. You do not have to approve of their choices to acknowledge that God loves them. In fact, that is precisely where the journey toward genuine love begins. Not with agreement, but with sight. Choosing to look at a person and see a person. Today is an invitation to notice where you might be doing what Jonah did. Not out of shame, but out of honesty. Because the good news is that God is always calling us back, just like He called Jonah, giving us another chance to respond differently.
Bible Verse:
Jonah 1:1-3
Reflection Question:
Is there a person or group in your life that you have quietly reduced to a label, and what would it mean to choose to see them as fully human today?
Prayer
Lord, open my eyes to see people the way You see them, made in Your image and deeply loved. Forgive me for the times I have reduced others to their worst, and give me the courage to look again.
Day 2: When Grace Feels Unfair
Jonah obeyed God. He went to Nineveh, delivered the message, and the city repented. That should be a victory. But Jonah was furious. So furious, in fact, that he asked God to let Him die. Why? Because God showed mercy to people Jonah had decided did not deserve it. If we are honest, we have all been there. Someone who hurt us gets a fresh start. Someone we wrote off turns their life around. And instead of celebrating, something inside us bristles. It does not feel fair. But here is what that reaction reveals: we have made grace into something we manage and distribute based on who we think has earned it. And grace, by definition, cannot work that way. Grace is precisely for the people who have not earned it. That includes us. The same mercy that covers your worst moment is available to the person you find hardest to forgive. That is not a threat. It is actually the most freeing thing in the world, because it means no one is beyond reach, including the people you love who seem far from God right now. Do not let resentment rob you of the joy of watching God work. Even when He works in unexpected places.
Bible Verse
Jonah 4:1-2
Reflection Question
Have you ever felt quietly resentful when someone you considered undeserving received grace or a second chance, and what does that reaction tell you about how you view God’s mercy?
Prayer
God, thank You that Your grace is bigger than my preferences. Help me to celebrate Your mercy even when it reaches people I struggle to love, and remind me that I too am a recipient of that same undeserved grace.
Day 3: Love That Costs You Something
Jesus did not call His followers to tolerate their enemies. He called them to love them. And the word He used was agape, the same word used to describe the love that sent Him to the cross. This is not a polite nod across the room. It is not gritting your teeth and keeping the peace. It is active, costly, self-giving goodwill directed at the very people who make your life harder. That is a high bar. Honestly, it is an impossible one without God’s help. But Jesus does not present it as an ideal to admire from a distance. He presents it as the standard for anyone who follows Him. What does that look like practically? It looks like praying for someone who has wronged you, not just saying you will. It looks like choosing not to rehearse the offense one more time. It looks like asking yourself what this person actually needs, even if they have never asked for your help. This kind of love does not mean you pretend the hurt is not real. It means you refuse to let the hurt have the final word. You are not called to be a doormat. You are called to be a reflection of a God who loved you when you were still His enemy. That is the model. And it is worth pursuing, one small act at a time.
Bible Verse
Matthew 5:43-45
Reflection Question
What would one concrete, costly act of love toward someone you find difficult actually look like this week, and what is stopping you from taking that step?
Prayer
Jesus, You loved me when I was far from You, and I want to love others the same way. Give me the strength to move beyond tolerance into genuine, active love, even when it is hard and even when it costs me something.
Day 4: Shalom Is More Than Keeping the Peace
There is a kind of peace that is really just avoidance. We do not bring up the hard thing. We do not engage with the difficult person. We keep our distance and call it moving on. But that is not peace. That is just managed tension. The biblical word Shalom means something far richer. It describes full flourishing, genuine health and wholeness, a deep desire for another person’s good. To wish someone Shalom was not a casual greeting. It was a declaration that you wanted their life to go well, even if your lives were in conflict. Paul calls believers in Romans 12 to pursue this kind of peace, to bless those who persecute them, to refuse to repay evil with evil, and to actively seek the good of people who have made themselves their enemies. That is not passive. That is one of the most demanding things a person can do. But here is the encouragement: you do not have to manufacture this on your own. Shalom flows from a God who is Himself the source of all flourishing. When you ask Him to help you genuinely want good things for someone difficult, He will meet you in that prayer. Start there. Ask Him to give you a heart that wants their good, even before you feel it. The feeling often follows the choice.
Bible Verse
Romans 12:14-18
Reflection Question
Is there a relationship in your life where you have been practicing avoidance and calling it peace, and what would it look like to pursue genuine Shalom in that relationship instead?
Prayer
Father, teach me what it means to truly want good things for people who have hurt me. Replace my avoidance with genuine care, and let Your Shalom flow through me to the people around me who need it most.
Day 5: One Phone Call, A Pot of Food, and Stubborn Love
Michael Weisser was receiving death threats from the Grand Dragon of the Nebraska KKK. Most people would have locked the door and called the police. Michael picked up the phone and called him back. He left a message that said Larry must be a very unhappy man, and that there was a lot of love out there for him if he would only want it. He kept calling. He and his wife Julie eventually brought Larry a meal, sat with him in a room covered in hate, and treated him like a human being. Larry Trapp, a man full of rage and isolation, broke down. He renounced everything. He converted to Judaism. He died in the care of the family he had once threatened. All of this started with one person who chose to look beneath the hatred and see the pain underneath. That is the invitation for all of us. Not to be naive about real harm, but to be stubborn about love. To refuse to become what hatred wants us to become. To look at the difficult, the hostile, the deeply different, and ask what is actually going on beneath the surface. You may not change anyone. But you will be changed. And sometimes, like Michael, you will get to watch God do something extraordinary with your small, faithful act of Shalom.
Bible Verse
Romans 12:21
Reflection Question
Who in your life, or even on the edges of your life, might be acting out of deep pain rather than pure malice, and what is one small step you could take toward them this week?
Prayer
Lord, give me eyes to see beneath the surface of difficult people, the way You see beneath the surface of me. Make me stubborn in love and slow to write anyone off, because You never wrote me off.
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