Jonah under di Plant

One big city don just dey saved. Thousands of people dey alive wey bin expect say dem go die. Somewhere, people go surely dey celebrate. But for one hillside outside di walls, one man sit down alone for di heat. And e dey vex. E vex well well.

You fit know di first part of Jonah story. God tell di prophet Jonah make e go Nineveh, di capital of Assyria, one strong and wicked enemy of Israel, and warn dem. Jonah run go di other side, enter ship. Storm come, dem throw am inside sea, and one big fish swallow am. After three days di fish vomit am for dry land, and God give am second chance. Dis time Jonah go. E waka enter Nineveh and announce: forty days, and Nineveh go scatter. And to everybody surprise, di whole city believe God. From di king go down, dem fast, dem wear sackcloth and dem turn from dem violence. And God see am, e get mercy, and e no destroy dem. Na there chapter four start.

But e no please Jonah at all, and e vex well well. And now Jonah finally confess why e run comot for di first place. E pray, but na more like complain. Lord, no be exactly wetin I talk when I dey my house be dis? Na why I run go Tarshish. I know say you be God wey get grace, and mercy, you no dey quick vex, and your kindness plenty. I know say you go forgive dem! Jonah dey vex because God too kind, to di wrong people. E vex reach say e talk, Now, Lord, take my life from me, because e better for me to die pass to live. And God answer with one quiet question. E good say you dey vex like dis? Jonah no answer.

Instead e waka comot from di city with vex, go di east side, and e build one small shelter for imself. E sit down for di shade, dey wait to see wetin go happen to Nineveh. Maybe God go still destroy am. Then God do something wey kind. E make one plant wey get plenty leaf grow up over Jonah, to give shade for im head, to make im suffering reduce. And Jonah, for di first time for dis whole chapter, happy. E happy well well, di Bible talk, because of di plant. But for di early morning of di next day, God send one worm. E chop di plant, and di plant dry. Then, as sun dey rise, God send one hot east wind from di desert. Sun beat Jonah head until e wan faint, and again e wish say make e die. E better for me to die pass to live, e talk.

And God ask again. E good say you dey vex because of di plant? And Jonah answer am sharp: Yes. I vex reach say I fit die. Then God talk di last words of di book. You care about dis plant. No be you plant am, no be you water am, no be you make am grow. E grow for one night and e die for one night. And me, I no go spare Nineveh, dat big city, wey get more than one hundred and twenty thousand people wey no fit know di difference between dem right hand and dem left hand; and plenty animals too? One hundred and twenty thousand people wey no know right from wrong, and all dem animals too. If you dey feel pity for one plant, I no suppose care about dem? And na there di book end, with God question wey still hang for air. We no ever hear Jonah answer. Maybe because di question na for us too.

Nobody know exactly which plant dis one be. Di Hebrew word, qiqayon, fit mean di castor-oil plant, wey dey grow quick and get big leaves wey dey give shade. Translators don argue about am for hundreds of years. Around di year four hundred, Augustine write letter to Jerome, wey translate am as ivy instead of di gourd wey people don know. Augustine report say for one town for North Africa, di new word cause big commotion for church.

You go find dis story for Jonah chapter four. Prophet wey vex because God get mercy, and God wey patiently ask am why. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Anybody dey wey e hard for you to want make God dey kind to am? Wetin God go tell you about dat person?