Yeah i finally understand JONAH!!! this i have to say, is a pretty big break thru for me. i mean, sure i know more bible stories than your average newly become christian, but there are alwasy thoes ones you jsut never got - and Jonah was one of them for me. taht whole bit at the end with the plant... makes no sense - untill today!!

So i had bible study, and dispite the fact that we are doing acts for hte moment, today we looked at jonah for a number of reasons :D and we only did the first 2 chapters, but then when i was waiting for chris, ricky adn scott to turn up for christianty explained, i though, i know, ill look over jonah again, adn i kept reading it and taking the last part apart in my mind and I GOT IT!!

so now you are all wondering what on earth i got.. so here it is:

But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, O LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."
4 But the LORD replied, "Have you any right to be angry?"

5 Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. 7 But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."

9 But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?"
"I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die."

10 But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

its a crasy chapter. but i think i get it - God is saying "you are sad abotu a plant - so sad you want to die" and then hes saying "why cant i be sad abotu my people - people who, even though they are sinners, i made adn love. why cant i care enough to die?"

and the answer is - he did care enough to die for us.