…and God’s Relentless Grace
For the bulk of the rest of the summer, we will be looking at the Old Testament prophetic book of Jonah. Yes, the same Jonah that was swallowed by the whale, or the big fish, or whatever it was. Now you might be thinking that you have heard the story a million times and it is possible that you have. Though I did not grow up in Sunday School where this story was a staple for children, even I have often heard this story referred to. In fact, people who do not know this story miss out on one of the cultural clues of our society. A Biblically informed culture utilizes stories like this to illustrate truths in life. Unfortunately, we have often trivialized this story and reduced it to a cute little morality play when in fact it is a dynamic and unsettling revelation about the majesty of God’s compassion and grace. It’s also about the coldness of man’s heart and his reluctance to join God in His gracious love for people who happen to be alienated from Him or ignorant of Him.
So… therefore, prepare your hearts and minds to engage this ancient story that played itself out in nearly three thousand years ago in the midst of the most powerful empire of its day. A reluctant prophet from a rural part of Israel walks into their arch enemy’s Assyrian capital of Nineveh and proclaims God’s judgement and the disintegration of its power. And then the grace of God sweeps through the hearts of the people, much to the prophets chagrin. There is much to be learned in this short narrative of God’s much bigger plan of redemption for the world.