Passage Viewer

The Lesson of the Castor Oil Plant

But Jonah was very upset about this, and he became angry.

He prayed to the Lord and said: “O Lord, isn’t this what I said when I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled to Tarshish. I knew you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and full of love, and you change your mind about punishing people.

I ask you now, Lord, to take my life, because I’d rather die than keep living.”

But the Lord replied: “What right have you to be angry?”

Jonah then left the city, went to a place east of it, built himself a shelter, and sat under its shade to wait and see what would happen to Nineveh.

Then the Lord God caused a castor-oil plant to grow up over Jonah to provide shade over his head and ease his discomfort. Jonah was glad about the plant.

But the next day, at dawn, God sent a worm that attacked the plant and caused it to wither.

When the sun rose, God sent a scorching east wind; the sun beat down on Jonah’s head, and he grew faint. His desire to die returned, and he said: “I would rather die than live.”

Then God asked Jonah: “Do you have a right to be angry about the castor-oil plant?” Jonah replied: “I am justified in my anger, even to the point of wishing to die.”

The Lord said:“You are concerned about a plant that took no effort to grow. It sprouted overnight and also died overnight.

But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell right from left, and they have many cattle as well. Should I not care about such a great city?”