Spared through Great Mercy

Overview of Temple Mount / Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem

Column for North Huron Citizen, "From the Minister's Study" - May 8 2026 edition

The temple mount in Jerusalem is a key location for three major world religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These days it can tend to become a flashpoint when religious tensions erupt. But did you know it used to be a plain threshing floor? And that it ought to epitomize, not human conflict, but God’s mercy? The story of how it came to be a key religious site reflects the mercy of the Lord revealed most keenly in the cross of Jesus, by which we sinners can be spared.

The Bible (2 Samuel 24; 1Chronicles 21) tells how King David was tempted to take a census of Israel, perhaps motivated by pride in the size of his empire and/or by reliance for his security on the amount of armed force he could muster in an emergency. Afterwards, David was conscience-stricken and admitted he had sinned greatly. A prophet gave him three options for consequences: famine, fleeing from enemies, or plague. David responded, “Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great…” Consequently the Lord sent a plague which killed tens of thousands, but God became grieved because of the calamity and halted the destroying angel, who was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. (Threshing floors were typically at elevated locations that would catch the breeze to help blow the chaff away from the kernels.) The prophet instructed David to build an altar at the threshing floor, so David purchased the land, built an altar, and sacrificed offerings – and the plague was stopped. David then pronounced that was the site where the house of the Lord was to be built, along with the altar for burnt offering. His son Solomon subsequently carried out the building of the first Jewish Temple (replacing the movable tabernacle from Exodus times), which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C., rebuilt in the times of Ezra and Nehemiah, enhanced by King Herod, then again finally destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. Today the “Western Wall” (Wailing Wall) is all that remains of these temple structures, while the later Muslim “Dome of the Rock” perches at the top of the mount.

So the very location of the Temple was a reminder that God spared His people punishment for sin. By his great mercy, He was grieved at our (deserved) calamity and intervened to spare more lives being lost.

What are some instances of being “spared” in everyday life? At school or university we enjoyed a “spare” in our class timetable, we didn’t have to attend lectures or necessarily do any work. Our vehicles are equipped with a “spare” tire which normally sits unused in the trunk while the other four tires do the work. We eagerly treasure “spare” time in which we have freedom and discretion to pursue a favourite pastime or hobby. In one vehicle I kept a “spare” key secreted in a magnetic holder attached to the inside of the wheelwell in case I unwittingly locked myself out! So a ‘spare’ is associated with a surplus, a benefit or welcome bonus.

In a test of faith and obedience, Abraham was instructed by God to sacrifice his son Isaac at a place God would show him, but when Abraham was about to plunge the knife, God intervened and provided a substitute (a ram caught by its horns in a thicket), and Isaac’s life was spared. At Jerusalem centuries later, Jesus God’s only Son went through with the sacrifice of Himself at the hands of sinners (both Jew and Gentile) in order that we might be spared the consequences of our own sins, and be blessed with new birth, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life in the Lord’s company forever! 

As the Apostle Paul put it, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” and, “...Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” (Romans 5:9; 1Thess. 1:10) What a blessing it is to be spared from the consequences of our sin through God’s great mercy, intervening lest we be destroyed, loving us so much as to offer His own beloved Son as our substitute – then raising us to new life along with Him.

When we look at the Temple mount; when we look at the cross – these are visual reminders a loving yet just God has spared us in great mercy. Such wonderful grace that spares us is celebrated in a hymn by Georg Klee (aka Georg Thymus; 1520-1561), a student of the German Lutheran reformer Philipp Melanchthon, who was the closest collaborator with Martin Luther.

“Turn, Lord, Thy wrath away, in mercy spare us! / Lay down Thy rod and let Thy love upbear us!

Hear us poor sinners, lo, sin hath undone us, Have mercy on us! …

Therefore, O Father, through Thy dear Son's merit, Spare us and let us grace through Him inherit,

That we in heaven with Thee, of life the giver, May live forever.”

Spring Ahead in Making Your Time Count

For column "From the Minister's Study" in the North Huron Citizen, March 27 2026 issue

Well, we’ve made it through to SPRING! Despite winter’s stormy blasts, snow dumps, road closures, and power outages… Is anyone ready to breathe a sigh of relief?

Another season, another quarter of the year… Where does the time go? The older we get, the faster the months seem to fly by; they give up putting candles on our birthday cake and just put numbers instead.

There is a classic song by The Byrds released 60 years ago that still gets airplay, because we resonate with its enduring message.  “To everything, turn, turn, turn / There is a season, turn, turn, turn / And a time to every purpose under heaven…” The hands on the clock keep on turning, spinning ‘round.

That song quotes a passage in the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3, which goes on to observe: “[God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Eccles. 3:11) There is a time for every purpose, yet somehow we sense there is more than just this time: we are beset by an inescapable hunch that eternity exists outside our time-space continuum. The clock’s mundane ticking, the seasons’ relentless quarterly turning, nonetheless are somehow encased in a greater envelope that is beyond our grasping. How will our management of this time measure up in the grand scheme of things? “A time to every purpose” – are the purposes to which we devote our time truly worthwhile?

If you want some sobering statistics, consider how modern folk use their time, and the toll this takes over the course of a lifetime. “Global social media usage grew from 95 minutes in 2013 to a peak of 151 minutes in 2023.” (source: Statista) Think about that for a moment. Each day, people were spending two-and-a-half hours on social networking - or over 1/10 of the hours in a day. Over a lifetime, say 70 years, would we really want to have devoted seven whole years of it to Facebook / Instagram and the like?

Unfortunately for some people, ‘doom-scrolling’ also comes at the expense of quality sleeping hours, negatively impacting their health. Then there’s the psychological cost of always unconsciously comparing ourselves to others’ best carefully curated (sometimes photoshopped) images. Not to mention the toll of cyber-bullying amongst young people who may be resorting to gauge their value based on their peers’ reactions to their posts.

It’s been said, if you really want to know what’s important to a person, look at how they spend their money (their monthly budget). The same thing applies to time. Significantly, moreover, money can’t buy time. It’s a limited commodity for all of us. At the end, even people who still have money left over all run out of time.

Scripture alludes to God’s suggestion that we measure our time carefully. At creation – “And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years…” (Genesis 1:14) Mark time. “He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.” (Psalm 104:19) Long before there were smartwatches or digital clocks or Big Bens or hourglasses or measured candles or sundials, God provided us with heavenly timepieces that daily continue their determined unrelenting march across the sky.

The Lord, in setting forth guidance for the fledgling people of Israel, embedded in their most important commandments direction to set aside a day each week to cease from their normal activities and focus on eternal matters. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work....” (Exodus 20:8-10) We are to follow God’s example who made time to rest even on the week of creation.

Even the powerful miracle-working Son of God, who could heal the sick, raise the dead, tame the wind and waves, and multiply loaves and fishes, took time to rest and worship. Luke records that on the Sabbath day Jesus “went into the synagogue, as was his custom.” The Son of Man had a direct personal uplink to His Heavenly Father, yet He made time to gather with other worshippers once a week to hear the Scriptures read and interpreted and refresh His awareness of realities beyond His immediate scope.

Mark’s account states that, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35) He took time in His day to gain eternal perspective.

Daniel was one of three administrators put in charge of the territories of the Babylonian empire, and distinguished himself so much the king planned to put him in charge overall. Others jealously plotted against him and lied in their accusations to Daniel’s boss. The Bible tells us Daniel’s response upon finding out he’d been ‘framed’ and forbidden to pray to anyone except the king. “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” (Daniel 6:10) God subsequently spared Daniel from execution and punished his accusers; but could part of Daniel’s stellar career performance, distinguishing himself, perhaps be related to his daily spiritual routine?

Could this be a tonic to alleviate our chronically busy frenetic lives driven by FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)? An alternative to getting depressed by endless scrolling craving another tiny jolt of dopamine? What a tragedy it would be to arrive breathless and exhausted at the end of a life filled with endless coming and going (yes, and browsing) only to find we had missed out on the most important things, the reason life was to be lived in the first place. God has set eternity in our hearts; it’s worth ‘making’ time to discern how to see our days, our priorities, in the light of His perspective.

“White as Snow

For the North Huron Citizen "From the Minister's Study" - Jan. 30 2026 Edition

It’s the bleak mid-winter. Are you tired of snow yet? We have sure been getting a lot of it! We shovel it, we blow it, we drive through white-outs… It’s good at such times to recall the good things about snow.

It helps raise the water table when it melts. It insulates the plants and, like a blanket, helps protect them from winter’s harshest temperatures. We can have fun in it – skiing, sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, going for sleigh rides, making snow forts…

A co-worker was mentioning someone that had gone on vacation in sunny warm Cuba. One night the protective mosquito netting didn’t lay where it was supposed to, and in the morning their lower legs were covered with many mosquito bites. Parts of Cuba are subject to mosquito-borne Dengue Fever… “Symptoms include high fever, severe headache, rash, and muscle/joint pain, typically lasting 2–7 days, with recovery in 1–2 weeks. No specific cure exists…”

I am thankful the cold temperatures associated with winter and snow in Canada protect us from all sorts of tropical pests and diseases!

Snow can be very pretty in the way it lays atop bush and tree branches like some sort of icing. It brightens a sunny winter day into brilliance. It can sparkle in the sunlight with a million tiny pinpoints of light. Skiers, snowboarders, and those in Arctic regions actually wear ‘snow goggles’ to shade them from its overwhelming brilliance.

Something that impresses us about freshly fallen snow is its sheer whiteness, its purity. Snow is even mentioned in the Bible, associated with whiteness and cleanness. Isaiah prophesied to his erring countrymen, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall become like wool." (Isaiah 1:18) The Psalmist, aware of his shortcomings, cried out: "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7)

We have all fallen short in life – made mistakes, forgotten or reneged on promises and commitments, hurt others either intentionally or unintentionally, become bitter and jaded or resentful about life not turning out the way we’d hoped. Our consciences keep score. Guilt becomes a heavy burden nagging at the back of our mind. We can try to shove past wrongs under the carpet but they’re always there to trip over. The Accuser seizes upon such fodder and keeps reminding us we’re less than perfect. As is written, “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” (Proverbs 20:9)

Part of us longs for the purity, the innocence of a young child, to be forgiven and freed from our moral blunders and mistakes, our malice toward those who’ve offended us. We want to be “white as snow”. But how can we find such purity and freedom?

We feel disqualified from ever being worthy to come before a holy God. The Psalmist spelled out the high standards of any who might qualify to do so: “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?  And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.” (Psalm 24:3f) 

We acknowledge we don’t have this “pure heart”. Jesus too emphasized the value of such purity when He said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Must we forever be prevented from having communion with the Divine on account of our faults?

Thankfully, Scripture holds out hope that our sin-problem can be addressed. As mentioned earlier through the prophet Isaiah, God pledges that though our sins be ‘as scarlet’, they can be made ‘as white as snow’. With the Lord’s help we can be made ‘clean’, ‘washed’, ‘whiter than snow’ as the Psalmist prayed.

The New Testament describes how Jesus’ sacrifice at the cross in our stead makes this purging possible. “For if the blood of goats and bulls… sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (Hebrews 9:13f) It is the blemish-less Christ’s blood that has purifying power!

One way to think of purity is as the absence of any corruption or element that pollutes. That is correct. However, perhaps a more positive way to conceive of purity is as freedom – free from spot, blemish, encumbrance, guilt, or hindering weight. Purity is liberating.

Sin can be a type of bondage or entrapment. A modern example would be pornography: after viewing smut, one may feel dirty, cheapened, preoccupied – and yet the temptation often leads into darker forms of visual lust. This objectifies women and can destroy relationships. In this context, “purity” through seeking God’s deliverance can result in a very real freedom, being empowered not to be taken captive by such darkness.

The deficit or hankering or ‘hole’ we were trying to satisfy through sin (e.g. porn) can better be filled through knowing God, an awareness that through faith in Jesus we have now been born anew as God’s dearly-loved child. This motivates us to guard and preserve purity. The Apostle John noted, “Beloved, we are God’s children now… we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

Pursuing purity involves conscious effort and saying ‘no’ to temptations that attract us, because we have something better in view. Paul advises the younger leader he was mentoring, “So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2Timothy 2:22) He notes it’s such a “pure heart” that frees us, empowers us to love God and love others genuinely: “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1Timothy 1:5)

Or as his fellow-apostle Peter put it, “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.”

So, next time you’re out in the snow… How might its pure whiteness draw your soul into an appeal to the Lord for such freedom and unencumbered loving empowerment in your inner life?

 

Kindness: Unnatural yet Indispensable

For the North Huron Citizen, Nov.14 2025

“To cultivate kindness,” said Samuel Johnson, “is a valuable part of the business of life.” But why be kind? Much of modern culture seems fraught with conflict, especially in the political sphere. Rival parties attack and hurl accusations at their opponents. Of course, the media crave conflict: internet moguls seek to capture your attention to sell advertising dollars – and what attracts onlookers more than a juicy public dogfight?! Kindness, unfortunately, does not sell newspapers.

So, why be kind in a world that seems addicted to hostility and seeking power over others? Christians understand that kindness is right at the core of the 9-fold “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5 (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control). But why, and also how, should we be more kind?

First, we are called to be kind because God our Heavenly Father is kind. Jesus taught, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” (Luke 6:35)

Some might object that a popular stereotype pictures God as a stern bearded old man in the sky, watching our every move as if trying to catch us in some wrongdoing. But this is a twisting of the way God has revealed Himself in Scripture. It harkens more to pagan conceptions of the divine, such as the Greek god Zeus or the Norse gods Odin or Thor. Granted, there is an aspect to the Biblical God that calls us to account, with consequences for rebels. The Apostle Paul articulates this: “Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.”

But the dominant note in the New Testament is of God’s lovingkindness expressed to sinners who turn to Him for help. Paul also wrote of “the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience” - such that “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” (Romans 2:4) He notes God has saved us (who trust in Christ) “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus”. (Ephesians 2:7)

So the caricature of God as some kind of grouchy grinch is a warped misconstruing of Biblical truth.

Second, we can be kind because God is not only kind in His essential nature, He has expressed His kindness to us when we follow Jesus – forgiving our sins, sending His Holy Spirit to indwell us, and preparing an eternal home for us in heaven. The Apostle Paul encourages us, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) And, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…” It is because we ourselves experience being “chosen” and “beloved” by God that we are graciously empowered to show kindness to others. We don’t have to compete and fight with others to try to win some degree of approval or significance.

A third reason to be kind is that it brings its own health benefits. In the Baltimore Experience Corps trial, adults age 60 and older were randomly assigned to either volunteer at elementary schools or be put on a waiting list. The volunteers spent at least 15 hours a week tutoring underprivileged kids. After two years, the researchers found that the volunteers had measurable changes in their brain health. One of the researchers said, "They didn't experience declines in memory and executive function like we saw in our control participants. And there were even changes in brain volume in areas of the brain that support these different cognitive processes.” Volunteers were also more physically active, "which is important for maintaining both cognitive and physical health as folks age.”

A fourth reason to be kind is that life is less about competition than it is about community. Kindness promotes community, whereas hostility pits us against others and ruptures society. Part of the “Greatest Commandment” is to “Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22:36ff) Jesus’ particular command to His followers is, “Love one another” - that implies community, not competition. (John 13:34f, 15:12) 

The Pierre de Coubertin International Fair Play Trophy is named for the founder of the modern Olympic Games, and it has been awarded annually to people in sports who have demonstrated nobility of spirit. The first trophy went to an Italian bobsledder named Eugenio Monti: in the two-man bobsled event at the 1964 Innsbruck Olympics, Monti was the leader after his final run. The only one given a chance to beat him was Tony Nash of Great Britain. As Nash and his teammate got ready for their final run, they discovered that a critical bolt on their sled had snapped at the last moment. Monti was informed of the problem and immediately took the corresponding bolt from his own sled and sent it up to Nash. Nash fixed his sled, then proceeded to come hurtling down the course to set a record and won the gold medal!

Nash may have won the competition – but Monti won in terms of character, cooperation, and fostering community in a spirit of kindness and fair play.

Lastly, in an increasingly automated and ‘smart’ AI-interwoven culture, we can be kind because it is a quintessential aspect of our humanity. David became king of all Israel and kicked off its ‘Golden Age’, yet he nevertheless made a point of showing kindness to his dear friend Jonathan’s surviving son, a cripple named Mephibosheth, inviting him to always eat at the king’s table. (2 Samuel 9) During the empire of the Persians, Mordecai took into his home the orphaned daughter of his uncle, who as Queen Esther became instrumental in saving her people from genocide.

Mamie Adams always went to a branch post office in her town because the postal employees there were friendly. She went there to buy stamps just before Christmas one year and the lines were particularly long. Someone pointed out that there was no need to wait in line because there was a stamp machine in the lobby. “I know," said Mamie, 'but the machine won't ask me about my arthritis.” Machines can be useful, but it takes a person to be caring and kind!

In short, showing kindness reveals something about God’s essential nature to those around us, as we ourselves have been blessed to experience His own kindness toward us in Christ. As Max Lucado put it, “I choose kindness... I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.”

Obedience may not be FUN, but it's FUNctional

"From the Minister's Study" Column, Sept.5/25 North Huron Citizen

Obedience is usually not fun – instead it can be very hard, having to make ourselves do what we may not want to do. Our selfish nature reacts at being told what to do. “We wants what we wants when we wants it!”

So, left to ourselves, we may become selfish, narcissistic, even abusive. After all, abuse is about power and control, taking advantage of others, perhaps manipulating them whether by falsehood or by force. We are polluted by selfish sin, impure, broken in our relationships. All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. (Romans 3:23)

It's hard to submit to authority and do as we're told, to obey. But as everyone knows, the most important thing in Christianity is to be obedient, right? To keep the law – obey 100% and you'll be blessed, right? Uh - no; that would be Prosperity Gospel 101.

No? Then what is the most important thing in Christianity?

God commanded in Deuteronomy 6:4f, what’s known as the very famous “Shema” for Jews – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” How much of our heart etc? All. Not just 30%, or 75%, or 95%... All!

Jesus focused on this when asked what was the most important commandment. “And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40) Note Jesus connects or associates loving others with loving God – because God commands us to love others. We can't love God yet hate our neighbour at the same time (1Jn. 4:20), because if we really love God we will obey Him: Jesus said, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word…” (Jn. 14:23f) If we love God, we will come to want what God wants, get on board with His agenda and priorities – get our jollies out of seeing God's caring Kingdom-community become lived out on earth as it is in heaven. (Recall opening lines of The Lord’s Prayer.) In fact Jesus went so far as to say pointedly: “This is My command – that you love one another.” (John 15:17, emphasis added)

There is a problem, though: our selfish pride gets in the way! How can we become better at loving others??!

There is a clue buried in 1Peter 1:22, which says: “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” Let’s unpack that.

Years ago there was an old marketing slogan: “Butter eaters make better lovers.” Catchy, memorable even, but not necessarily based on evidence. Does eating butter make you a better lover? No! Butter needs to go with something - bread, bun, popcorn… Butter by itself doesn’t make a satisfying meal (blechh!). When we're just thinking of our self, it’s “yuck”. We need to learn to get out of ourself, “it’s not about me”.

What truly makes better lovers? If not butter, what will help us become better at loving? Back to 1 Peter 1:22; note especially the connecting words “by” and “so that”. How do we purify our souls? By “obeying the truth”. 

To what end? So that we “have a sincere love for each other”. The word “sincere” means originally ‘without wax’ (to conceal cracks); by extension – whole, unpolluted, purified.

So, what is the function of obedience Peter is getting at? Is obedience simply an end in itself? More than just that – it's the key to becoming less selfish. Obeying God’s way forces us to do what we may not really want to do, trains us in discipline, it requires a little “death to self”. This ties in directly with another key teaching of Jesus: we cannot be His disciple unless – what? We deny our self, take up our cross daily, and follow (obey) Him. (Luke 9:23) 

In Psalm 32:9, God urges the Israelites to accept His instruction without resisting like a horse or mule that won't come without bit and bridle. On the farm, we have been rehabilitating a young pig someone brought us that fell off a stock truck, sustaining a broken jaw and hind leg in the process. “Babe” the pig in the morning fights the lead as I take her out to her pen, back and forth and sideways, straining against it on her hind legs. But in the evening, going back into the barn and her food dish there, no leash is required: she runs straight as an arrow into the barn for her supper. She is completely on board with the Master's will, she obediently identifies with my purpose. 

Elisabeth Elliot tells the story of when she and her brother Tom were small children. Their mother would let Tom play with paper bags that she had saved as long as he put them away afterwards. One day she walked into the kitchen to find them strewn all over the floor.

Tom was in another room at the piano with his father singing hymns. When their mother called him to the kitchen to tidy up, he protested, "But Mum, I want to sing ‘Jesus loves me, this I know’."

His father, seated next to him, backed up the boy’s mother by saying: “It's no good singing God's praise if you're disobedient. To obey is better than sacrifice."

To recap… do “butter eaters make better lovers”? NO! What makes a better lover? Obedience. It’s the training ground for truly loving God and others. Obedience may not be FUN, but it's FUNctional.

Grievances Require a Huge Gulp

Column for The North Huron Citizen, "From the Minister's Study" - July 18, 2025

            Which is harder to swallow: an entire person – or a grievance?

            People wonder, in the Biblical story of Jonah, how a “great fish” could swallow a prophet then spit him up again conveniently on shore nearer his appointed destination to continue his mission. (Jonah 1:17, 2:10) But the main point of the story is not the bite size or cavernous innards of a submarine creature, but the reluctant prophet’s own inner resistance to forgive his enemies. Let me explain.

            When God first tells Jonah to go preach against Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, Jonah does not obey; instead he heads in the opposite direction as far as he can, boarding a ship to sail to a far distant port. He obviously considered Nineveh not worthy of a warning. What was so bad about Assyria that might make an Israelite hesitant to help its people?

            Nineveh’s king eventually calls on his countrymen to give up their “evil ways and violence” (3:8). Another prophet, Nahum, provides more detail: Nineveh’s sins included plotting evil against the Lord, cruelty and plundering in war, prostitution and witchcraft, and commercial exploitation. Assyria was one of the world’s first great organized empires, so had figured out how to use its power and resources to threaten, intimidate, and brutally dominate others.

            Can you relate? How do you feel toward others that rip you off, or treat you unfairly? What’s your attitude toward those that use power or status or speech to put you down, make you feel demeaned? Do you wish them well? Hardly! That’s just not natural. Far easier for us to want to see them get their “just desserts”, to wish to see the downfall of those who’ve put us down.

            Eventually God gets Jonah’s attention, saving his life after an insurmountable storm at sea. Jonah relents, goes and preaches to Nineveh briefly, then takes a seat outside the city to await its promised destruction. But he’s disappointed. Nineveh’s king proclaims a period of repentance and fasting. As a result - “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.” (Jonah 3:10)

            How does Jonah feel in response? Greatly displeased and angry – to the point of asking God to end his life because “it is better for me to die than to live” (4:4). The Lord replies, “Have you any right to be angry?”

            But that’s exactly how we feel when our enemies have done us wrong, have hurt us deeply. “I have a right to be upset! I want them to suffer just like they’ve hurt me.”

            Scale it down for a moment from the Evil Oppressive Empire and make it personal. Who might you find it hardest to forgive? Can you honestly pray for God’s mercy to be shown to them? My Dad and uncles fought in World War II, one uncle in the RCAF was killed in France in January 1945 returning from a mission. Would I want to see Hitler in heaven? (supposing, theoretically, in his dying moments in that bunker, he had sincerely repented) What about Josef Stalin, or Mao Tse-Tung, responsible for the deaths of millions? Some of the most despicable villainous criminals have repented and turned to Jesus in prison; would I want God to show mercy to them, after the horrible deeds they’ve committed?

            A third juncture in the Jonah story highlights how hard it is for him to give up his grievances. God provides a leafy vine to provide shade for Jonah and ease his discomfort, which makes Jonah very happy (4:6). But a worm withers the vine, and again the blazing sun and scorching wind make Jonah wish he were dead. Once more God asks him, “Do you have a right to be angry (about the vine)?” Jonah whines that he does; but God points out He actually has a right to be concerned about the thousands of people in Nineveh, whereas Jonah had nothing at all invested in the vine. Throughout the story, God’s character is highlighted as Jonah describes it in 4:2 (and is echoed throughout the Old Testament): “a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”

            Don’t be waylaid by a whale; don’t become flabbergasted by a fish! The point of the story of Jonah is not whether Nessie had a cousin lurking deep in the Mediterranean. The point is startlingly personal: would we be willing to do whatever it takes for even our enemies to be forgiven? Or would we be only to happy to stand apart and watch them be damned?

            Which brings us right to the cross of Jesus. He was the only perfectly innocent person that ever lived; He was simultaneously God in-the-flesh, so had every right to invoke judgment on His enemies. But rather, He went to the cross, being whipped and beaten and tortured to death in their stead, so they could be forgiven. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us… For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” (Romans 5:8,10) As sinners, we were God’s “enemies”... The cross shows us just how far God’s compassion and grace and abounding love is willing to go to save those who would reject Him.

            God, help me to become willing to have the same attitude toward those who’ve hurt me, that Jesus had toward sinner-enemies like me! To swallow my grievances, that I might taste Your grace.