Jonah's Lesson in Mercy

The story of Jonah is not about a man being eaten by a large fish, despite what children's Bibles would have us believe. Yes, Jonah was eaten by a large fish, but frankly, that is beside the point. Rather, the theme of this short book is that God is sovereign and He is compassionate, not just to "us" but to "them," as the ESV Study Bible puts it.

Jonah was commanded to prophesy to the Ninevites, an evil pagan nation. Rather than obeying God, he boarded a ship sailing in the opposite direction. Have you ever caught why Jonah was running? It was not because he was scared of the Ninevites. Jonah 1:3 says that Jonah was going "away from the presence of the Lord." He did not want to follow God's command. What I find most unusual is that Jonah did not want to do what God told him not because He believed the Ninevites would ignore God but rather because he knew that they would repent! Jonah 4:1-2 reads, "But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, 'O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.'" Jonah believed wholeheartedly that the Ninevites deserved divine judgment, not a second chance, and it made him mad.

The great irony of course, is that the Ninevites were repentant while Jonah was not. The man of God was judgmental and self-righteous, while the pagans were broken, "calling out mightily to God" (3:8). Jonah 3:10 says that God saw what the Ninevites did and relented of bringing disaster, just as Jonah feared.

Ninevah's repentance, God's desired outcome, should have been cause for much celebration, but Jonah could find no joy in it. In fact, he was so mad, he asked God to take his life. Jonah's "us versus them" mentality was crumbling around him. His worldview, strongly steeped in justice, was in a tailspin. Jonah went to sit at the edge of the town to see what would happen, perhaps still wishing their destruction. God, in His mercy, caused a plant to grow up over Jonah to provide him shade, but the next day, when God caused the plant to die, Jonah again became mad because the plant died. Mad enough to desire death. The final 2 verses of Jonah (4:10-11), are profound and sum up the book. "And the Lord said, 'You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

How often Christians wish God's justice upon "them", the outsiders--be they Muslims, democrats, or "the new atheists." Pick your group. Because of our God-given sense of justice, I think we sometimes want to see His destruction come forth. However, in Romans 9:15, we are reminded that God told Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." We don't get to decide.

The reality is that we all deserve God's justice. Let us adopt the perspective of I John 4:19, "we love because he first loved us" and pray for God's mercy to be poured out on those who do not deserve it--like us.

Scopes in reverse

I am sitting in a hotel room in Dayton, Tennessee where I will be attending a conference tomorrow. In 1925, Dayton provided the backdrop for the Scopes Monkey Trial. In March of that year, the Tennessee legislature made it illegal to teach evolution in the school. John Scopes, Dayton's biology teacher at the time, was convinced by two local leaders to challenge the law by teaching evolution. Apparently, the plan was initially hatched as a publicity stunt, to bring some attention to Rhea County. The case ended up becoming one of the most well-known trials in American history. Scopes was prosecuted by former presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan and was defended by Clarence Darrow. The defense was funded by the American Civil Liberties Union. The media coverage reportedly exceeded any event up to that time. Scopes was convicted and fined, though the fine was overturned by the supreme court on a technicality.

The Scopes case was, in many ways, about academic freedom. The restrictions on academic freedom were set forth by a government relying upon distinctly Christian values. After Scopes, however, American society gradually switched to an increasingly secular approach to education. Over time, several landmark court cases made teaching creation or intelligent design either difficult or illegal.

The freedoms that the ACLU were trying to protect have now come full circle. Individuals who even allow for the possibility of intelligent design are excluded from academia. For example, Richard Sternberg, former editor of the Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, authorized an article authored by Stephen Meyer that had been favorably peer reviewed. Because this article discussed intelligent design, Sternberg was marginalized and defamed by his colleagues--not based upon the merits of the article, but rather, because it allowed for a supernatural explanation.

I heard of a recent similar example of limiting academic freedom. Greg Koukl was recently asked to give a talk entitled, "Is it intolerant to say Jesus is the only way?", as part of a sanctioned event at a college in Calgary. The posters were removed by the university and not allowed to be re-posted because the title was considered divisive and negative. Even more striking was the fact that administrators concluded the posters had racial overtones because a subtitle read, "Is choosing a religion merely a matter of preference, like chocolate vs. vanilla? Or is it about something much more serious?" This line of reasoning (claiming racism) is inane. One does not need to look far to identify many more examples of this sort of academic exclusion.

The groups that were once fighting to be heard are now employing the same restrictions that were once leveled against them. Now that their voice dominates, they refuse to allow dissenting voices to be heard. So much for civil liberty.

Oostburg, Islam, and the Woman at the Well

This is a hard post for me to write. I want to share some recent observations about my hometown, Oostburg, a place I still love and cherish. Much of my family lives there and so do many fond memories. The people of that town love one another fiercely.

Oostburg is a small town on the Western shore of Lake Michigan that was established by Dutch settlers in the 1840s. The community retains its Dutch identity and with that identity comes a strong Calvinistic base. Indeed, all of the churches within the village limits represent various branches of Calvinism. No Catholic churches. No Baptist. No Methodist. It has been this way as long as I remember.

From my perspective, the lack of diversity has often led to suspicion about outsiders. There seems to be a sense that people who do not fit the mold will ruin utopia. People different from the norm have felt marginalized and often judged. As a child growing up there, I was one of the few kids whose parents were divorced. After she divorced my dad, my mom was given the message in no uncertain terms, that she was no longer welcome in the church. She needed compassion... she got judgment. She needed Jesus...she got the Pharisees.

While I was completing my residency, Heather, Grace, and I moved to Oostburg. I was one of Oostburg's sons returning home and was welcomed with open arms. Heather, on the other hand, was an outsider. People looked at her with suspicion. Where did she come from? Who was she? With whom was she connected? Once the connection with me was made, she too was welcomed.

I share these back stories because I want to write about some recent developments in Oostburg. There have been discussions in the works to establish a mosque near Oostburg and the response has been unfortunate, if not predictable. In a story from the Sheboygan Press, they quoted a local pastor from his church's website:

• "Does this group of Muslims denounce violence against Jews, Christians, and other non-Muslims? If so, how much of a paper trail in English and Arabic has the group already written about such matters as 9-11 or the treatment of Jews and Christians in Muslim-majority countries? How much is presently written about these issues on their website? Even more importantly, what kind of accountability will be in place? Will there be a non-Muslim county or village official (that fluently reads and speaks Arabic) who will certify annually that this group is not teaching fundamentalist /terrorist ideologies? If so, who will be paying for this service? Will they seek to have legal exemptions for or special treatment because of their Muslim faith?"

Then follows 28 pages of comments. People from Oostburg defending their way. Others criticizing Oostburg's status quo. Some writers were civil, others were vitriolic. As I read the article and the comments, I wanted to weep. Where was Jesus in these comments? Was all of this bickering what He died for? Was this an example of the great commission?

I think that the story of the woman at the well has much application here (John 4). Jesus was passing through Samaria and stopped at Jacob's well. A Samaritan woman approached and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." She was taken aback because Jews did not talk to Samaritans--it was simply not done. She was also a woman, which was another strike against her. It turns out she had been married 5 times and was now living with a man who was not her husband. Another strike. She said to Jesus, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?"

Then Jesus switched from asking to offering. He told her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." In the next paragraph, he revealed himself as the Messiah and offered her salvation. She ran off to tell her people about Christ, leaving behind her water jar in the process. Verse 39 reads, "Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony". Jesus broke tradition. He loved the marginalized.

When Jesus called us to go and make disciples of all nations, he didn't mean countries, he meant people groups. That includes Dutch settlers in Wisconsin and Islamic doctors working in the US. We all need Jesus. Do not refuse a drink to others because of fear. I John 4:18 says, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear."

If you get a chance, read these passages in their entirety:
John 4
I John 4

Take some time and watch this video as well.

Uncompromising Men

I shared this at Men Who Pray tonight:
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Yesterday, I watched Braveheart, my all-time favorite movie. William Wallace was described at one point in the movie as “uncompromising.” I want to share 2 more stories about uncompromising men.

First, in Daniel 3, we read of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo--3 of the young Hebrew men brought into King Nebuchadnezzar’s palace when he seiged Israel. These 3 young men, probably in their teens or early 20s, were commanded to bow down to the golden image created by the King just like everyone else in the kingdom, but they refused. The king was furious and told them they would be tossed into a furnace if they didn’t comply. In verses 16-18, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.'” The furnace was kindled 7 times hotter. The men who carried these three to the furnace were consumed by the heat and died. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo were delivered. They were uncompromising.

Second, there was an early church father named Polycarp who fought for the truth of scripture, rejecting early church heresies. He managed to live into his 80s when he was finally apprehended by the Roman government. The Roman proconsul asked him to proclaim “Cesar is Lord”. He refused. Polycarp was subsequently burned at the stake and when his captors were going to nail him to the stake to secure him, he said, “Leave me as I am. For He who grants me to endure the fire will enable me also to remain on the pyre unmoved, without the security you desire from nails." Though he died, Polycarp was uncompromising.

There are a few differences between these stories. In the first, the men were young, in the second he was old. In the first, they lived, in the second he died. There were also similarities between them. In both cases, men were unabashedly committed to following God. In both cases, an oppressive ruler was commanding them to worship someone else. In both cases, the men were offered a final way out. In both cases, the men refused. They weren’t concerned about following the social order. They weren’t looking around to see how other guys were handling it. They didn’t care what other people thought of them. They were uncompromising.

Gentlemen, we live in a society where men who compromise are not only accepted but celebrated. We are allowed to proclaim staunch commitment (in other words worship) to football, NASCAR, or hunting, but when we say that Jesus is the only way to salvation, we are cast aside as insensitive. Relativism rules. Even American churches, we are encouraged to compromise. We are told, "You have your idea of God, I’ll have mine." Men, God calls us to step up. God calls us to follow Him wholeheartedly. We are told to lead (I cor 11). We are told to pray (I Timothy 2:8). We are called to be uncompromising.

In Luke 9:62, Jesus says “no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” These men above, did not look back. They kept their focus right.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who was also killed by the Nazis. He said, “Besides Jesus, nothing has any significance. He alone matters.” Men, be uncompromising about the only thing that matters, Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 13-remixed

Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson have written what is turning out to be an excellent book entitled, Counsel from the Cross: Connecting Broken People to the Love of Christ (2009). I am quite certain that I will have more to say about this book in upcoming days and weeks, but today I read a few paragraphs of theirs that I wanted to reproduce here. The authors suggest that we view the very familiar love passage from I Corinthian 13 from a different perspective. Rather than seeing it as a template for how we can be more loving, we should view it as a "sneak preview of what we'll see when we finally gaze upon him 'face-to-face'" (p. 62).

"As the author of language and as God’s Living Word, Jesus can speak in the tongues of men and angels, and yet he condescends to speak simple words that nourish, soothe, and delight our souls. He knows the past and the future, understands all mysteries and knowledge; has all faith and reigns as Ruler over all; and yet, his love caused him to humble himself and remove our mountain of sin. Because of his love, we who are nothing have become “beloved.” He gave away what was rightfully his, humbled himself, and delivered up his body to be burned in the scorching furnace of the wrath of his Father.

"Jesus is patient and kind; he doesn’t envy or boast. When faced with Satan’s temptation to prove his Godhood in the wilderness and on the cross, he never showed off his power. He was utterly humble. He wasn’t arrogant or rude, railing on the disciples, deserting them because of their selfish ambition. He isn’t arrogant or rude with us either. When standing before his accusers he didn’t insist that they treat him with respect, nor did he proudly demand their accolades. He was silent, like a lamb before the shearers. The humble King of heaven wore a crown of thorns and a purple cloak. He is never irritable or resentful, picking away at every little foible he sees. In love, his blood covers our multitudinous sins.

"He doesn’t gleefully rejoice when you sin, glad to finally have an opportunity to give you your comeuppance. He rejoices when you believe the truth, not simply the truth about you—that you are sinful and flawed—but also the truth about him—that he loves you and welcomes you. Out of love for you, he bears all things. He has unflinching faith and hope in your transformation because he knows the power of his love. He knows that one day he will bring you to be with himself. He has endured and continues to endure all things out of love for you. His love never ends. Never.

"Ten zillion years from now, when he has had time to really see what sort of person you are, his love won’t have worn out. In fact, he knows you through and through right now and loves you all the same. Your shameful secrets cannot shock or repel him. His love never ends. One day we will see him face-to-face and then we will fully understand, for the first time, what real love looks like." (p. 63).

Book Notes-February 2010

1. The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande (2009). Gawande, who wrote his first book during his surgery residency, is a masterful writer. Although this book was not as good as his previous 2, it is still a worthwhile read discussing the importance of using checklists. 3 stars.

2. The Great Divorce by CS Lewis (1945). In this brief story, Lewis presents his view of the afterworld. From it comes the excellent quote, "There are only 2 kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.'" 3.5 stars.

3. Foundations for Soul Care: A Christian Psychology Proposal by Eric Johnson (2007). Johnson wrote this proposal for a distinctly Christian psychology. It has taken me nearly a year to read, but it was well worth my time. I had to read it with a dictionary in hand, but I appreciated his deep command of the Bible as well as modern psychology. He seems to be on to something and I cannot wait to see how this "Christian Psychology" develops. 4 stars.

4. Words from the Fire by R. Albert Mohler Jr. (2009). Dr Mohler writes of the importance of the 10 commandments to modern day Christians. I appreciated his approach to teaching these and plan to study them more myself. I particularly liked his thoughts on the 3rd commandment, which entails not taking the name of God in vain. 3.5 stars.

5. The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (1678). Although I struggled with the language of this book, not often reading works from the 1600s, it is a beautiful Christian allegory, firmly rooted in scripture. I understand why this was once the second most widely read Christian book after the Bible. It is a worthwhile read for all believers. 4.5 stars.

6. The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes (1630). I came across this title as I read the Eric Johnson book mentioned above and saw it mentioned a few times since. It was almost suggested as a Puritan approach to depression. Although I can see its application to that, it is a much broader book in my opinion. I found many worthwhile ideas and quotes as I read this brief, but excellent book. 4 stars.

7. Who is Jesus? by RC Sproul (1983). I received this book as a part of a set for making a donation to Ligonier ministries. It provides a good apologetic regarding the life of Jesus. 3 stars.

If you are going to read one book from this list, read the The Pilgrim's Progress. It is a classic.

Christ is the Hope of the Church

I found this passage in Richard Sibbes's The Bruised Reed. It really struck a chord with me.

If we look to the present state of the church of Christ, it is as Daniel in the midst of lions, as a lily amongst thorns, as a ship not only tossed but almost covered with waves. It is so low that the enemies think they have buried Christ, with respect to his gospel, in the grave, and there they think to keep him from rising. But as Christ rose in his person, so he will roll away all stones and rise again in his church. How little support has the church and cause of Christ at this day! How strong a conspiracy is against it! The spirit of antichrist is now lifted up and marches furiously. Things seem to hang on a small and invisible thread. But our comfort is that Christ lives and reigns, and stands on Mount Zion in defence of those who stand for him (Rev 14:1); and when states and kingdoms shall dash one against another Christ will have care of his own children and cause, seeing there is nothing else in the world that he much esteems. At this very time the delivery of his church and the ruin of his enemies are in progress. We see nothing in motion till Christ has done his work, and then we shall see that the Lord reigns.

Christ and his church, when they are at the lowest, are nearest rising. His enemies, at the highest, are nearest their downfall. The Jews are not yet come under Christ's banner; but God who has persuaded Japheth to come into the tents of Shem (Gen 9:27) will persuade Shem to come into the tents of Japheth. The 'fullness of the Gentiles' has not yet come in (Rom 11:25), but Christ, who has the uttermost parts of the earth given to him for his possession (Psa 2:8), will gather all the sheep his Father has given him into one fold, that there may be one sheepfold and one shepherd (John 10:16). The faithful Jews rejoiced to think of the calling of the Gentiles and why should we not rejoice to think of the calling of the Jews?

The gospel's course has hitherto been as that of the sun, from east to west, and so in God's time it may proceed yet further west. No creature can hinder the course of the sun, nor stop the influence of heaven, nor hinder the blowing of the wind, much less hinder the prevailing power of divine truth, until Christ has brought all under one head, and then he will present all to his Father: 'These are those thou hast given to me; these are those that have taken me for their Lord and King, that have suffered with me. My will is that they may be where I am and reign with me.' And then he will deliver up the kingdom, even to his Father, and put down all other rule, and authority, and power (I Cor 15:24).

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His closing prayer:
The Lord reveal himself more and more to us in the face of his Son Jesus Christ and magnify the power of his grace in cherishing those beginnings of grace in the midst of our corruptions, and sanctify the consideration of our own infirmities to humble us, and of his tender mercy to encourage us. And may he persuade us that, since he has taken us into the covenant of grace, he will not cast us off for those corruptions which, as they grieve his Spirit, so they make us vile in our own eyes. And because Satan labours to obscure the glory of his mercy and hinder our comfort by discouragements, the Lord add this to the rest of his mercies, that, since he is so gracious to those that yield to his government, we may make the right use of this grace, and not lose any portion of comfort that is laid up for us in Christ. And may he grant that the prevailing power of his Spirit in us should be an evidence of the truth of grace begun, and a pledge of final victory, at that time when he will be all in all, in all his, for all eternity. Amen.

Understanding Grace Carditively

Since becoming a Christian, I have professed to understand grace and I believe I do. Indeed, I know that it is by grace I am saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). Many times, though, my understanding is in my head, as is my personality. God designed me as a thinker. I more easily process thoughts and concepts than emotions and feelings. Getting grace from my head to my heart has been a daunting task.

Eric Johnson (Foundations of Soul Care, 2006) writes of this process, differentiating the cognitive from the carditive. "Carditive internalization begins with the processing of biblical/gospel discourse in such a way that one's affections are engaged" (p. 503). I cherish the times when God allows me carditive internalization. This week was such a week.

Over the past several days, I have been struggling to understand Galatians 5. Paul contrasts law and grace, works of the flesh and fruits of the spirit. Verses 16 and 24 really challenged me. Verse 16 reads, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" and verse 24 reads, "And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." As I read the works of the flesh described in verses 19-21, I saw myself; not just as I was, but as I am. I was left with the question, am I walking with the Spirit? If I am, why do I still gratify the desires of the flesh? Completely overcoming the flesh seemed impossible to me. I will always have a little more anger. A little more idolatry. A little more flesh.

I found a brief phrase in The Pilgrim's Progress that captured my recent feelings about Galatians 5. Hopeful tells Christian, "Another thing that hath troubled me ever since my late amendments, is, that if I look narrowly into the best of what I do now, I still see sin, new sin, mixing itself with the best of that I do; so that now I am forced to conclude, that notwithstanding my former fond conceits of myself and duties, I have committed sin enough in one day to send me to hell." I have always been a sinner and I will continue to be a sinner, despite my own best efforts. I can claw and fight, but no matter my efforts, I will still be separated from God by an infinite divide.

God, in his infinite graciousness, aided my carditive processing today through pastor Doug. Doug was preaching about heaven, specifically Revelation 21-22. This passage promises a new heaven and a new earth--a completely new existence. Yet, 21:8 reads, "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Reading this verse, I was again back to my feelings regarding Galatians 5.

In the last 5 minutes of his sermon, though, Doug mentioned Romans 5:20. This passage was not the focus of his sermon, but I was emotionally overwhelmed the moment I heard it. God used Doug to share a verse that went right to my heart. Romans 5:20-21 reads, "Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

We were given the law so that we realize how impossible life is without Christ. My sin will increase every day, adding to my debt. Yet, even in my sinfulness, Christ paid the penalty. It has nothing to do with my ability. I will never measure up. And He will grant me eternal life anyway. Greater love has no one than this.

Let My Words Be Few

A sarcastic person has a superiority complex that can only be cured by the honesty of humility.-Lawrence Lovasik

For all of my life, I have loved to talk. With people, around people, at people. As a young boy, my mother had a shirt for me that said "Motomouth" and people laughed often because it was true. I don't ever recall a time when this was not true. I have always been quick to speak.

Unfortunately, with a quick tongue often comes impetuousness. Speaking, before thinking, can lead to trouble. As a junior high and high school student, I was occasionally subjected to attacks by older students because I would make what I felt were quick-witted, comedic comments. I have a way of quickly spotting verbal inconsistencies in people and can turn a phrase to make a joke out of nearly anything. This "ability" was often my downfall. I inherited this skill from my father; get-togethers are peppered with witty observations, often at the expense of others.

This is the heart of sarcasm. It literally means "to tear the flesh." I have previously written on this topic, noting my appreciation for gentler sarcasm (if there is such a thing), yet issuing a caution that we must be careful with our words.

I still struggle with this most days. My default setting still calls up sarcastic comments. At times I still make them, though through God's grace, I have done so less often. I continue to work on being slow to speak and quick to listen--to God and to others. I have been amazed at how much more likely people are to open up when they feel heard, rather than criticized.

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.-Ecclesiastes 5:1-3

For the love of reading

Today, Trevin Wax had a post on setting a reading goal. He had many good suggestions.

Here are the things I would suggest:

1) Read widely. Trevin suggests this as well. I think it is beneficial to read in multiple genres. Read someone who disagrees with you. Read fiction. Read biographies. Read academic works.

2) Read out loud. Certain books just cry to be out to be read aloud. Children's tales, for example (hey read to and with your kids). I also read passages of the Bible outloud when I am trying to catch the meaning better.

3) Have access to a dictionary. A book I am currently reading is fond of using the words illocutionary and perlocutionary, which reminds me I need to go look them up.

4) Read with a pencil in hand. Write notes in a pad or right in the book.

5) Talk to others about what you are reading. It will help you to encode it and may encourage them to read.

6) Read actual books. Reading on the Internet, in my experience, leads to skimming and a cafeteria approach to reading. Go deep. With paper.

7) Don't be afraid of old men (or women). Don't be afraid to read old books. They often have a lot to say. Start with the Puritans.