The Snare of Self-Pity

In the final sermon on our series through the book of Jonah, we discover that self-pity can become a prison that shrinks our world until we become the center of our own universe. The passage exposes how we can hold orthodox theology while harboring a hostile heart toward God's mercy reaching others. God's use of the plant, the worm, and the scorching wind weren't random acts of cruelty—they were surgical strikes against Jonah's self-absorption. When we nurse our grievances and center our universe on our feelings, we mistake wallowing for wrestling with God.