Good Friday Morning!!! I love reading!!!
1. Question – Have you analyzed your very own
prejudices????
2. Thought – Jonah had three prejudices to overcome.
First, a theological prejudice. It was God’s idea to
choose Israel. He grew up believing from his
mother’s knee that God had a special love for
Israel, that this was particular, special, and
irrevocable. The thought of God doing anything outside
Israel was unthinkable. But at the same time Jonah got to
know the true God. “I knew that you are a gracious
and compassionate God” (Jonah 4:2); therefore he
feared that this part of God’s character might spill
over on Niveveh. Secondly, Jonah was filled with national
prejudice. He loved Israel. He was patriotic. To march
into Niveveh would make him feel disloyal. And if, as he
feared, God would be merciful to the Ninevites, how would
this make him look before his fellow Israelites? Thirdly,
Jonah was racially prejudiced. He was biased towards his
own race and felt animosity and superiority toward
Gentiles, especially a nation like Assyria, of which
Nineveh was part (Iraq today). The thought of mixing with
them was distasteful to him.
This theological, national, and racial prejudice was
deeply ingrained in the Jews. It is striking that Paul,
addressing Jews in Jerusalem, was being listened to
– that is, until he mentioned that God was sending
him “to the Gentiles.” Think of this:
no one said a word when he mentioned his background (Acts
22:3), his persecuting Christians (vv. 4-5), his
extraordinary conversion (vv. 6-8), making his way to
Damascus (v. 11), his being healed of blindness (v. 13),
God’s direct word to him (v.14), his being baptized
(v.16), his direct word from Jesus (v.18), and his reply
(v.19). So far, so good. It was until Paul quoted Jesus
saying, “Go; I will send you far away to the
Gentiles” (v.21) that pandemonium broke loose.
“The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then
they raised their voices and shouted, ‘Rid the earth
of him! He’s not fit to live!'” (v.22). (The
Power of Humility by R.T. Kendall)
”These are the very kind of biases Jonah had.
But God used him!” (David Brainerd, 1718-1747)
Have a wonderful reading and growing weekend! No texting
and driving! Be careful on the roads. Tell your
legislators to get the lines repainted on our roads!
