The Vindication of God's Mercy

The Lord Jesus compared Himself as greater than the prophet Jonah.

Jonah could only preach wrath, not forgiveness, because he had no sacrifice to offer for Nineveh's sin.

But Jesus does preach forgiveness and cleansing, because He offered up Himself as God's Lamb to take away our sin!

Jonah sat down and watched, hoping for God's judgment to fall. He didn't want God to spare Nineveh. No wonder Jesus is greater than Jonah, for He has compassion for sinners!

Not only so, but the cost to Jesus was horrible: He delivered Himself up to death to save those He loved! He gave up the riches of Glory to become poor to save us! Jesus didn't just talk compassion, He bled and died compassion for poor sinners!

Jesus is greater than Jonah because Jonah fled God's commission, but the Lord Jesus was eager to obey His Father in all things. He set His face like flint to go to Jerusalem and Calvary.

Jonah sat down to await God's wrath, but Jesus sits down rejoicing to see His people saved! There is great rejoicing in Christ for His people as they come to Him!

Finally, Jesus is far greater than Jonah because Jesus saves an innumerable host of Gentiles, while Jonah's preaching only led to a single city's being spared for a time.

God had promised Messiah that He would bring salvation to the world, not just Israel. Israel never realized that Jesus would dwarf the work of Jonah in every way, particularly in the saving of poor Gentiles. When Jesus rose from the grave, Salvation flowed over the whole world!

Jonah thought it wrong for God to spare wicked Nineveh. But Jesus vindicates God's mercy, for He made God's mercy just by His death for sin. Full Justice has been done!