I love this image of the word of God. Growing up I was a big science nerd, so when I read this I immediately thought of the water cycle.
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This parable is one that Jesus actually explains in the Bible, later in the chapter.
I have a terrible sense of direction; it is so bad that when I am out “driving by rumor” (the art of knowing your destination is over that way and then blindly trusting that you’ll find it.)
After chapters of argument—after wrestling with mercy, justice, election, inclusion, and offense—Paul does something unexpected.
Jonah ends his story unchanged. The city repents. The people turn. Even the animals are drawn into God’s mercy.
Paul does not try to make this comfortable. He does not soften the claim or explain it away. He simply names the truth: mercy does not belong to us.
I grew up keeping score. My Granny and I could play games for hours—Uno, Go Fish, and especially Scrabble.
Long before Jesus tells a story about workers in a vineyard, God gives instructions about labor, wages, and dignity.
I tend to read this verse as reassurance—God is patient with others.