Jonah 4:4 “Then said the LORD, doest thou well to be angry?”

In my Christian experience, I’ve seen that many people do not like it at all when someone gets saved, gets in the word of God and starts truly following Christ in their life!

And there are reasons for this…

Sometimes it’s because they just don’t understand what is going on in that person’s life.

Sometimes it’s because they’re inconvenienced by what is going on in their life.

Sometimes it’s because they’re envious of what is going on in their life.

And sometimes it’s because they’re convicted by what is going on in their life.

The Bible is full of examples showing that whenever God is at work… like whenever Jesus forgave someone, healed someone, saved someone… instead of rapturous applause and “I’m so happy for you!”… generally it made someone else or even whole groups of people mad!

In John 9, Jesus healed a blind man, who had been blind from birth! He’d never seen a sunrise or sunset, he’d never seen his parents or siblings or perhaps even wife or girlfriend’s beautiful face… and yet because Jesus healed him, and he joyfully experienced the power of God in his life… yet because of Christ’s working in his life and him not being ashamed of Christ… his parents distanced from association with him and he got kicked out of the religious “community”.

In Mark 10, Bartimaeus… who was a blind beggar… one day heard Jesus was passing by, and he started crying out for Jesus to have mercy on him… but then many of the people were telling him to shut up! Stop upsetting the apple cart Bartimaeus! we don’t have time for you to see!

Then there was the colt tied up in some town who Jesus commanded to be loosed in Luke 19… but the owners objected “why loose ye the colt?” Oh boy it upsets people to see people set free to serve Christ Jesus! … but nevertheless “the Lord hath need of him”.

In Acts 16, Lydia was owned by men who made money $ out of her talents and abilities… but she got saved and freed through Christ… then “nek minnit” she’s now useless to her “masters” because her life has changed and Paul and Silas are chucked in jail for daring to help her!

What about Mary in Mark 14… Jesus had cast seven devils out of her, forgave her, saved her, changed her life, and she loved him dearly, following him closely… and before Jesus’ crucifixion she anoints him with the best she’s got… her alabaster box of costly ointment… and it’s a beautiful scene… but yeah you guessed it! People standing by are condemning her, pointing out how she’s such a bad sinner and why is she wasting good ointment!?

Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in John 11… it’s an amazing miracle… but then next chapter, amazingly we find the religious people are plotting to kill him, because through his personal resurrection people are now believing in Jesus! …Give the man a break, he’s just been dead and they’re trying to “dead” him again!

What about Nehemiah, who rocks up to Jerusalem post Babylonian destruction and he surveys the completely ruined city. God’s put a great work on his heart to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem… and yet powerful men… Sanballat and Tobiah… are very aggrieved that someone’s come to help Israel… and they fight Nehemiah with all their full arsenal of tricks and traps the whole book!

What about Moses? At forty years old he’s been thinking about how he can use his position and power to help his people. One day he rescues a Hebrew slave from being beaten up by an Egyptian slavemaster… and then the next day he tries reconciling two Hebrews who are fighting each other… and he’s thinking at this stage that his people will be glad for his help. …Instead to his utter dismay they tell him to get lost! we don’t want you or need you! And that puts him on the run for forty years.

And there’s SO many more examples. But do you want to know who is behind all of this behaviour? Because we are given a glimpse into the “who” in the book of Zechariah, a book written at the time of when the Jews have begun to return to Jerusalem after 70 years in exile… a book where revival has broken out… BUT we read in Zechariah 3:1 “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.”

… At the very root of it all, > Satan < is why people, even “church” people get mad when Jesus is doing a work in an individual, or family, or church, or nation’s life. It’s a spiritual issue, best call it for what it is… because we know for sure! that heaven is happy, and the angels in heaven are happy, and God’s will is done when one lost sinner repents and is born again and follows Christ… so how could we ever be otherwise minded?

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