Today you get a whole book in one sitting: Jonah, the prophet who ran from mercy. Not from danger, from mercy. He tells God so to His face: I knew you were gracious and compassionate, and I did not want Nineveh to get it.

The book ends on God's unanswered question about a city He pities. It is left hanging on purpose, for every reader holding a grudge the size of Nineveh.

Jonah's problem was never theology. His creed was perfect; he recited it as his grievance. The problem was a heart that wanted God's mercy fenced to people who deserved it, meaning people like him. The fish was easy. The compassion was the miracle Jonah resisted to the last verse.

Revelation 5 shows where the argument ends: a slain Lamb purchasing people from every tribe, language, people, and nation, Nineveh's descendants included, singing in the choir. The question God left hanging over Jonah hangs until you answer it: should I not have concern? Say yes today, about your Nineveh, by name.