Jonah
4:1-11
“…for I knew that you are a
gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast
love, and ready to relent from
punishing.”
(Jonah
4:2b)
The story of Jonah often centers around his encounter
with a big fish. Children are captivated by the tale of a man stuck in the belly
of a whale for three days. Come to think of it, children of all ages are
fascinated by the tale. But there is
much more in the story of Jonah than a wet and most assuredly stinky encounter
with a large sea creature.
In the final chapter of the book, the anger and
frustration of Jonah are on display and it is not a pretty sight. As he suspected, the grace of God won out
over judgment and the people of Nineveh were spared. We see here a side of Jonah that makes us
uncomfortable, not just because of the angry fit he throws before God, but
because deep down, we also struggle with our own attitudes about grace. Now, we welcome the grace of God in the midst
of our failures and those of people “like us” or those we love. But sometimes, we’re not sure about God’s
grace and “other” sinful people.
Jonah’s anger is an indictment against himself, not
God. The antidote for sin, you see, is
grace, not judgment. Otherwise, the
cross means nothing. The glimpse of God’s grace in sparing the sinful people of
Nineveh is but a foreshadowing of God’s ultimate work of grace on the
cross. Thanks be to
God!
Prayer: God of grace…God of mercy, help me carry anew the
cross of Christ and there, be reminded that grace is a gift for all.
Amen.
Jim Abernathy
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