From the Presence of the Lord: A God Too Gracious

God is a gracious God who desires to be acknowledged as Parent. Sadly, a loving Parent suffers misunderstanding and ingratitude. The misunderstanding reaches to scandal at God’s mercy to sinners. For, indeed, there seems to be a rooted human reluctance to acknowledge and wholeheartedly welcome a gracious God…in particular, when that graciousness is directed to others. One does not have to search far for biblical instances. Two stories illustrate the point effectively. Jonah, reluctant prophet, sent on a mission to Nineveh, symbolic enemy of his people, fled ‘the presence of the Lord’. He had a nagging suspicion that, in sending him with stern warning to the Ninevites, his God had a hidden agenda. He feared that mercy and forgiveness might lurk within the word of threat. His worst fears were realised! In Luke’s unforgettable story of the Lost Son, Jesus defends his welcoming of sinners. The first act of the little drama portrays God’s gracious forgiveness. The sinner was warmly welcomed and reinstated without condition. The other son, the righteous, was scandalized and hurt: it was not fair! Finally, and briefly, two incompatible accounts of the death of Judas Iscariot witness, all too painfully, to our human meanmindedness. Closer study of the gospels indicates that Judas did not escape the all-embracing love of Son and Father. We are challenged to step into the shoes of Jonah and of the Elder Son, and seriously examine our reaction to the scandal of divine graciousness.