By David Faust

Anger is only one letter away from danger. In the age of road rage and rancorous political debates, how should we handle our anger? Squash it like a bug? Fear it like a snake? Spray it like a skunk?

If we suppress anger, it boomerangs back and leads to depression. If we vent it inappropriately, anger destroys relationships and leads to regret.

At first glance Jonah’s anger seems surprising. After all, the entire population of Nineveh repented after hearing Jonah’s preaching. Surely for a prophet this was a dream come true. What follower of God wouldn’t be thrilled to see a whole city turn to the Lord?

Yet after completing one of the most successful preaching campaigns on record, Jonah struggled to sort out his feelings. He had predicted that Nineveh would be overthrown within 40 days (Jonah 3:4), but it was clear now that God intended to spare the city. Skeptics sometimes accuse God of being too harsh, but Jonah considered God too kind. He complained, “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love” (4:2). It would have been fine with Jonah to see the city destroyed—as if he preferred to keep God’s kindness to himself.

The Root of Bitterness

In the midst of Jonah’s pity party God asked his pouting prophet a pointed question: “Is it right for you to be angry?” (vv. 4, 9). In certain circumstances, anger is a perfectly legitimate response. According to psychologist Dr. Archibald Hart, anger is both a signal alerting us to a violation and a mobilization preparing us for action. The Bible doesn’t call anger wrong in itself, but urges, “In your anger do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26) and be “slow to become angry” (James 1:19).

God’s anger is the model for ours. His holy wrath isn’t irrational and unpredictable; it’s a natural response to injustice and harm. When a genuine violation has occurred, anger is a reasonable and justifiable reaction; but there’s no excuse for being petty, short-tempered, and harsh. The only way to be angry without sinning is to get angry in the same ways (and for the same reasons) Jesus did. I have seen people get upset about things that don’t seem to bother the Lord at all, while nonchalantly shrugging their shoulders over matters the Lord considers crucially important.

Here’s another question: Is anger part of our lives, or does it dominate our lives? Jonah was so angry that he wanted to die (vv. 3, 9). Earlier God saved Jonah’s life from the depths of the sea, but now resentment threatened to swallow him up again. Like a bitter root, unresolved anger “grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (Hebrews 12:15). It needs to be expressed to God in prayer, processed with friends in honest conversation, and worked through with wise counselors or spiritual mentors.

Resentment or Compassion?

Jonah is a missionary book. God’s “concern for the great city of Nineveh” (Jonah 4:11) reminds us of our responsibility to share the gospel with people we don’t naturally know, love, or trust.

For Jonah to be a more effective missionary, he needed to admit his emotional immaturity and develop more patience, compassion, and self-control. Mostly he needed a better grasp of God’s grace. My guess is, so do we.

David Faust serves as the Associate Minister at East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Based on International Sunday School Lesson, © 2013, by the Lesson Committee. Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©2011, unless otherwise indicated.

As you apply today’s Scripture study to everyday life, read Engage Your Faith by David Faust and the correlating Evaluation Questions.

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