Is It Wrong Or It Seems Wrong?

Jonah 4:1
But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.

What are you reacting to? Are you reacting to reality or that which only seems? What a grave mistake to react in a real way to that which only seems. Before you react and cause significant damage, ask yourself is it a real wrong or something that seems wrong?

Jonah was angry that God answered the prayers of repentance from the people of Nineveh. Jonah was angry that the God who answered his prayer from the belly of the fish had answered the prayers of Ninevites. Jonah was angry that God who forgave him for running away to Tarshish had forgiven the people of Nineveh. Jonah was angry that God who was kind to him had been kind to the people of Nineveh. In Jonah’s judgment, the people of Nineveh did not deserve God’s kindness. God’s goodness was what seemed wrong to Jonah. Is it wrong or it seems wrong?

Jonah looked at the situation in Nineveh from his own point of view. He as a jew hated the people of Nineveh. He wanted them dead. He did not look at the Nineveh situation from the point of view of the people of Nineveh, therefore he was not sympathetic. He did not look at Nineveh from God’s point of view that cared about people and animals. From Jonah’s narrow point of view, everything seemed wrong. Is it wrong or it seems wrong?

Things always seem wrong when we only see them from our own point of view. When we refuse or are reluctant to see things from another point of view, we make the same mistake Jonah did. Everything seems right or seems wrong, but always far from reality. It takes courage and wisdom to consider another point of view. Are you so sure it is wrong and deserves severe punishment? That is how Jonah thought. It seemed wrong and he was sure the people of Nineveh deserve death. Is it wrong or it seems wrong?

When it seems wrong, it means you have been misled by your feelings, perception, people, or circumstances. When it seems wrong, there is no evidence only noise. When it seems wrong, you are so sure but you have no further explanation. Is it wrong or it seems wrong?

Anger is always caused by that which seems wrong but is never actually wrong. A mind that can’t see reality will never rise above petty issues that cause anger. A mind that can see reality can never be provoked to certain levels of anger. Jonah was angry because he was so narrow-minded that he could not see another point of view. Jonah had real anger over that which only seemed wrong. Is it wrong or it seems wrong?

Jonah was God’s prophet yet he made this grave mistake of being angry at what only seemed wrong. Being a servant of God does not mean you cannot act foolishly. Being a servant of God does not mean you can’t miss the point and be very wrong on issues. Jonah was a servant of God but personal interests influenced him to make very poor decisions. He concluded something was wrong yet it wasn’t wrong. Is it wrong or it seems wrong?

The reason why crimes are investigated is that what seems may not always be it. What seems a suicide after the investigation it is discovered to be a murder case. What seems ordinary criminal activity, is investigated and established to be a political assassination. What seems is not always it that is why investigations are conducted even where everyone thinks the guilty person is obvious. We should never stop at what seems without establishing how true it is. Is it wrong or it seems wrong?

What are you angry about? Is it really wrong or it only seems wrong? Why are you angry at your parent? Why are you angry at your children or child? Why are you angry at your spouse? Why are you angry at your relative(s) and friend(s)? Why are you angry at your colleague(s)? Why are you angry at your neighbor(s)? Why are you angry at that business partner? Why are you angry to this extent? Is it really equivalent to the offense? Is it wrong or it seems wrong?

We need to review our anger? What has triggered our anger? Is the offense real or imagined? Is the anger justified? Anger has a limit that is related to the offense. Christian maturity calls for forgiveness and moving on to rectify the wrong. We have written several articles on anger. Just search for anger from our site reikesis.com and you will find many articles on anger. The Bible demands that our anger must be controlled and limited. Anger should not run wild. One way to manage anger is to be sure that we see things from all points of view and not just ours. From our point of view, it seems wrong, what about from the point of view of God and the other person? Is it wrong or it seems wrong?

God’s point of view is superior to our point of view. Other people have a right to a differing point of view. We need tolerance for other people. We need spiritual discernment to appreciate God’s perception. That is why we must always ask ourselves when we are angry, Is it wrong or it seems wrong?

Two times God asked Jonah why he was angry, Jonah 4:4 and Jonah 4:9. The question was supposed to jolt Jonah to the reality that he was using a one-sided perception. The question was to wake Jonah to the reality that he was making a real reaction to that which only seems. We also need to be asked and to ask ourselves – why are you angry? Is your recent anger bouts based on what seems or what is real? Real to God? Real to the other party? Or real only to you? If it is only to you, then most likely, it only seems. Is it wrong or it seems wrong?

Dear God save us from anger, bouts of anger, short temper, prolonged vindictive anger, and mental illnesses that derive pleasure in expressing anger. Give us wisdom and courage to quickly get over offenses and move on. Remind us to always interrogate our anger and its causes. Save us from Jonah’s mistake of getting angry at what only seems, this is our prayer in Jesus’ name, Amen!