Not too long ago, my family watched a Sight and Sound production of Jonah. It was a musical and took some creative license in the storyline, but overall it was a fun production on Jonah. But there was a profound moment at the end of the production that stuck with me.

We don’t know whether Jonah chose to forgive the Ninevites. The book ends with a cliffhanger, with God asking Jonah,

“Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?” Jonah 4:11 (NASB).

Since many scholars assume Jonah is the author of his book, we can assume he learned his lesson, so the production took the liberty to show Jonah realizing God’s compassion and forgiveness and choosing to forgive the Ninevites himself.

The emphasis on forgiveness in this production hit hard. I’d been struggling with forgiveness, and I related to Jonah. I wanted those who hurt me to know my hurt, maybe even to feel a bit of a sting. Instead, God calls me to a message of love and forgiveness, because vengeance is His, He will repay. I will not. What a hard lesson to learn for Jonah, and for me.

I’ve always looked at the sign of Jonah as being the 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the fish. The play pointed out that in Jonah we also see the gospel in this story of undeserved forgiveness, just like Christ offers us undeserved forgiveness.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32

If Christ has forgiveness for all my sins when He is perfectly holy, how can I not extend forgiveness?

But it can be hard, can’t it? My flesh says to put myself first, to seek my good and my glory above all else. The Spirit says to love my neighbor as myself, to see others as more important than myself, and to give all the glory to God. I see that I am weak; I cannot continually forgive, seventy times seven times, in my own strength. But what does Christ promise?

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

What a gift! Christ’s strength is made perfect in our weakness! When my feelings say I cannot forgive, I know that Christ’s strength in me gives me the grace to forgive. And each time I forgive, I can remember the forgiveness of my Savior, how great a love He has, that as far as the east is from the west is how far He’s removed my sins from me, and in the midst of my hurt I can give thanks. 

With love,

Kelsey