And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city,
in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons
who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left,
not to mention the many cattle?"
in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons
who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left,
not to mention the many cattle?"
Thus ends the Book of the Prophet Jonah, with the Lord’s challenge to the prophet, the people of Israel and us. Jonah is a comical figure among the prophets. After all he has suffered – a storm at sea, tossed overboard, swallowed by a whale, vomited up on shore by the same whale – he must endure the sight of his enemies repenting and turning back to God. And now here he is suffering the heat of the midday sun after sleeping into midmorning. Life isn’t fair for him.
Recently I’ve been slogging through Charles Taylor's A Secular Age, an 800 page history of religion and philosophy. Among his many extraordinary insights he recalls today’s quarrel between believers and unbelievers about “the problem of evil.” Both agree God should not let bad things happen. The atheist decides there is no God; the believer has no reply but courageously clings to faith. But their agreement – that a good God should not let bad things happen – is artificial. Where does it say that in the Bible?
Living in the mystery of Jesus Christ, we allow ourselves to suffer the same disappointments he suffered, and to enjoy the same pleasures. We have neither the capacity nor the need to understand the so-called problem of evil, much less the mind of God. Rather, we experience the presence of a God who suffers with us even in our disappointments.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.