Thursday, May 16, 2019

Reflection - Jonah gets angry, God disciples - Jonah gets angry

Source (book): "God in Pursuit", Chapter 8, Question 1, Page 115.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012


Why do you think Jonah got angry when God spared Nineveh?
PHOTO: Why do you think Jonah got angry when God spared Nineveh?
In Jonah's case, with the shortest of sermons, the prophet saw an entire city converted in a matter of days. Even the king repented. If something like this were to happen today, it would likely be celebrated with much worship and thanksgiving. Endless stories would be told and published, countless articles written, and seminar upon seminar organised to probe the secret of such an unprecedented success in evangelism and mission.

Yet Jonah reacted angrily. He was very cross when he saw the city spared after its people repented (Jonah 4:1). Instead of rejoicing and praising God, the man who was used by God to bring about a great revival decided to sulk.

Why was Jonah so angry? Why was he so upset that God had spared the Ninevites from the destruction that he had prophesied?

Perhaps Jonah felt that his professional reputation as a prophet was at stake. Earlier, we saw how a prophet is tested by the accuracy of his predictions (Deuteronomy 18:22). Up to now, Jonah may have had a good reputation and earned respect as a true prophet of God, for his prophesies about Israel had come true (2 Kings 14:25). But now, because God had changed His mind about Nineveh, he risked losing this reputation. What Jonah feared had come true (Jonah 4:2). Wasn't this why he ran away from God in the first place?

In complaining to God, Jonah revealed an ugly spirit. The "authentic" prophet now faced the prospect of becoming an object of ridicule; as far as he was concerned, his professional reputation was more important than the salvation of the Ninevites.

Or, perhaps Jonah's anger came from nationalistic fervour. As an Israelite, he would have rejoiced at the destruction of Nineveh, the leading city of his people's enemies, the Assyrians. That would have sent a chilling message to any power eyeing Jerusalem and the people of God. What a great victory it would have been for Israel, to see its greatest enemy defeated and put to shame! Like many of his countrymen, Jonah may have had a narrow, nationalistic view of God - one that reduced Him to tribal god or national mascot.
 
Jonah's personal and nationalistic pride prevented him from recognising what God was doing through his ministry. He was willing to work for God - after what happened in the Mediterranean Sea - but not with God. He had allowed God to work through him, but he was either unaware or uncooperative as far as God's work in him was concerned.

But God, who is always full of grace, did not give up on His prophet. Jonah may have been a tough nut to crack, but God was patient. He was going to teach Jonah that His heart was big enough for all the peoples of the world - including a sulking prophet.


How does the prophet's reaction compare with those of the Pharisees in Jesus's day and the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:1-2, 25-30)?
Jonah's angry reaction
Perhaps Jonah felt that his professional reputation as a prophet was at stake. The "authentic" prophet now faced the prospect of becoming an object of ridicule; as far as he was concerned, his professional reputation was more important than the salvation of the Ninevites.

Or, perhaps Jonah's anger came from nationalistic fervour. As an Israelite, he would have rejoiced at the destruction of Nineveh, the leading city of his people's enemies, the Assyrians.

The reaction of the Pharisees in Jesus's day
Jesus had flouted their laws, overruled their authority, and exposed the hatred in their hearts to the entire crowd in the synagogue. They were so jealous of Jesus' popularity, his miracles, and the authority in his teaching and actions that they missed who he was -- the Messiah for whom they had been waiting.

Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees illustrates their unacceptable hypocrisy.

They refused to acknowledge Jesus because they were not willing to give up their treasured position and power. When Jesus exposed their attitudes, he became their enemy, and they began looking for ways to destroy him. In Jonah's case, he was also unwilling to sacrifice his professional reputation as a prophet but he was not jealous of God's authority and 'popularity' as He relent from bringing destruction to Nineveh. However, both the Pharisees' and Jonah's reaction showed that they were not really concerned about the salvation of others. They did not expressed any joy when the sinners repent and return to God.

The reaction of the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son
The elder brother, had probably for years been jealous of his younger brother as their father’s favourite, spoiled and indulged as younger siblings can be, and he had deeply resented the father’s yielding to the whim of his young brother to go his own way, taking his share of the family’s substance and abandoning all feeling of responsibility to their father or the family or the inheritance. After squandering his share of the family property in riotous living, now the spendthrift had come back penniless, and their father and the family were actually celebrating his return!

When the father then came out to plead with his elder son to come into the house and join in the welcoming of his brother, all this resentment burst out. He had given all his energy and time to working for his father for years like a slave; he had always done whatever his father wanted; he had never been given by his father even a young goat to celebrate with his friends. But now, he adds contemptuously, ‘this son of yours’ comes back after wasting ‘all your property’ with loose women – and you kill the fatted calf for him! (Luke 15:28-29) In the face of such powerful resentment and recrimination the unhappy father attempts to explain to his elder son that they are always together and the son is owner of all that the father has. ‘But’, he protests, ‘we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours [a gentle correction and appeal] was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found’ (Luke 15:31-32).

It would be difficult for Jesus’s opponents among the scribes and Pharisees not to realise that they were being criticised in the person of the elder jealous brother who represented them in their resentment of all the sinners they complained that Jesus was making so much of; just as later it would be difficult for Christian readers not to appreciate that if they resented the Church giving forgiveness to converts from paganism or penitent sinners at Easter, they too were taking the part of the vindictive elder brother.  It is the father, of course, who is the central figure of the whole parable, flanked on either side by his two sons, the extravagant and the resentful; and the central message of this parable of the lost son returning to his father’s embrace in spite of his brother’s jealousy, like the parable of the wandering sheep brought home in the shepherd’s arms and the parable of the housewife’s relief at finding her missing money, is that God’s joy is indescribable when sinners return to him. As Jesus declared to his critics, expressing his own feelings too, ‘Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance’ (Luke 15:7)

To both the elder brother and Jonah the salvation of others were not of their primary concern. There was no joy over those who were lost and found, but anger over what they themselves could have lost. The well-being of their self comes before others, which prevent them from recognising that the father, and God was giving forgiveness to the converts. Both the elder brother's and Jonah's reaction should be joy instead of anger. They should be rejoicing instead of being resentful and angry over anyone who was lost and has been found.

God, who is always patient and full of grace, did not give up on sinners, or sulking prophet. The story of Jonah and the major parable Jesus told, illustrate the rejoicing in heaven whenever anyone who has been lost is found. There are joys. The joy of God in forgiving those who return to him in repentance, and the joy of those who are forgiven unconditionally by a loving and understanding God.
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Why do you think Jonah got angry when God spared Nineveh? How does the prophet's reaction compare with those of the Pharisees in Jesus's day and the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:1-2, 25-30)?

Why do you think Jonah got angry when God spared Nineveh?
When Adoniram Judson, an American missionary, arrived in Burma - Myanmar today - with his wife in 1813, [33] there was not even one known Christian there. It was a massive and challenging mission field, and Adoniram found it hard going. The ground was hard and for years, there was not even a single convert. It took six years before they saw their first convert baptised. Adoniram thanked the Lord and looked forward to more fruit from his labour, but only a trickle of converts came to the small church that was forming. It was hard work. Worse still, Adoniram was accused of being a British spy and imprisoned for 21 months.


Adoniram Judson
PHOTO: Adoniram Judson, an American missionary, arrived in Burma - Myanmar today - with his wife in 1813 there was not even one known Christian there. It took six years before they saw their first convert baptised. Adoniram thanked the Lord and looked forward to more fruit from his labour, but only a trickle of converts came to the small church that was forming. It was hard work. Worse still, Adoniram was accused of being a British spy and imprisoned for 21 months.
Picture posted by Matthew Burden on Thursday, 26 January 2017 - The Peace and the Passion
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http://thepeaceandthepassion.blogspot.com/2017/01/adoniram-judsons-missionary-legacy-part.html


Some 12 years passed before the number of converts reached 18. But Adoniram continued to labour in the difficult mission field, and did not return to America for 34 years. After his death in 1850, a government survey showed that there were 210,000 Christians. It was a great harvest, but it had started slowly.

In Jonah's case, however, it was very different. With the shortest of sermons, the prophet saw an entire city converted in a matter of days. Even the king repented. If something like this were to happen today, it would likely be celebrated with much worship and thanksgiving. Endless stories would be told and published, countless articles written, and seminar upon seminar organised to probe the secret of such an unprecedented success in evangelism and mission.


With the shortest of sermons, Jonah the prophet saw an entire city converted in a matter of days.
PHOTO: With the shortest of sermons, Jonah the prophet saw an entire city converted in a matter of days. Even the king repented. If something like this were to happen today, it would likely be celebrated with much worship and thanksgiving.
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https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/04/reflection-jonah-gets-second-chance.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/04/reflection-god-repents-god-is-unchanging.html
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/05/reflection-god-repents-god-changes-his.html


Yet Jonah reacted angrily. He was very cross when he saw the city spared after its people repented (Jonah 4:1). Instead of rejoicing and praising God, the man who was used by God to bring about a great revival decided to sulk.


Jonah reacted angrily.
PHOTO: Jonah reacted angrily. He was very cross when he saw the city spared after its people repented (Jonah 4:1). Instead of rejoicing and praising God, the man who was used by God to bring about a great revival decided to sulk.
Picture posted by boai‏ @yudienihao66771 on 06 Jan 2016 at 2:35 PM
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Jonah's reaction was in stark contrast to what Jesus said happens in heaven when a person turns to God. In telling His three stories about the lost being found - a sheep, a coin, and a son - the Lord described the joy that it produced. "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over on sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent" (Luke 15:7, cf. 15:10, 23-24).


The Parable of the Lost Sheep
PHOTO: The Parable of the Lost Sheep
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ (Luke 15:4-6).
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The Parable of the Lost Coin
PHOTO: The Parable of the Lost Coin
A woman had 10 silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ (Luke 15:8-9).
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Jonah's reaction was in stark contrast to what Jesus said happens in heaven when a person turns to God.
PHOTO: Jonah's reaction was in stark contrast to what Jesus said happens in heaven when a person turns to God. In telling His three stories about the lost being found - a sheep, a coin, and a son - the Lord described the joy that it produced.
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https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/04/reflection-jonah-gets-second-chance.html


Why was Jonah so angry? Why was he so upset that God had spared the Ninevites from the destruction that he had prophesied?

Perhaps Jonah felt that his professional reputation as a prophet was at stake. Earlier, we saw how a prophet is tested by the accuracy of his predictions (Deuteronomy 18:22). Up to now, Jonah may have had a good reputation and earned respect as a true prophet of God, for his prophesies about Israel had come true (2 Kings 14:25). But now, because God had changed His mind about Nineveh, he risked losing this reputation. What Jonah feared had come true (Jonah 4:2). Wasn't this why he ran away from God in the first place?


Why was Jonah so angry?
PHOTO: Why was Jonah so angry? Why was he so upset that God had spared the Ninevites from the destruction that he had prophesied? Perhaps Jonah felt that his professional reputation as a prophet was at stake. Up to now, Jonah may have had a good reputation and earned respect as a true prophet of God, for his prophesies about Israel had come true (2 Kings 14:25). But now, because God had changed His mind about Nineveh, he risked losing this reputation. Wasn't this why he ran away from God in the first place?
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In complaining to God, Jonah revealed an ugly spirit. The "authentic" prophet now faced the prospect of becoming an object of ridicule; as far as he was concerned, his professional reputation was more important than the salvation of the Ninevites. How different he was from Jesus, who gave up what rightly belonged to Him - heaven's divine throne - and "made himself nothing" so that He could save us from our sins (Philippians 2:5-8)!


Jonah revealed an ugly spirit
PHOTO: Jonah revealed an ugly spirit - as far as he was concerned, his professional reputation was more important than the salvation of the Ninevites. The "authentic" prophet now faced the prospect of becoming an object of ridicule.
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https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/03/reflection-jonah-gets-second-chance.html


Or, perhaps Jonah's anger came from nationalistic fervour. As an Israelite, he would have rejoiced at the destruction of Nineveh, the leading city of his people's enemies, the Assyrians. That would have sent a chilling message to any power eyeing Jerusalem and the people of God. What a great victory it would have been for Israel, to see its greatest enemy defeated and put to shame! Like many of his countrymen, Jonah may have had a narrow, nationalistic view of God - one that reduced Him to tribal god or national mascot.
 

Why was Jonah so angry?
PHOTO: Why was Jonah so angry? Why was he so upset that God had spared the Ninevites from the destruction that he had prophesied? Perhaps Jonah's anger came from nationalistic fervour. As an Israelite, he would have rejoiced at the destruction of Nineveh, the leading city of his people's enemies, the Assyrians. But now, because God had changed His mind about Nineveh, he is unable to see Israel's greatest enemy defeated and put to shame.
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Such a view of God can shut other people out - and it is a common one. English poet Edwin Markham put it aptly in his poem, "Outwitted": [34]

He drew a circle that shut me out -
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew circle and took him in!
 

Like many of his countrymen, Jonah may have had a narrow, nationalistic view of God - one that reduced <br><br>Him to tribal god or national mascot.
PHOTO: Like many of his countrymen, Jonah may have had a narrow, nationalistic view of God - one that reduced Him to tribal god or national mascot. "He drew a circle that shut me out - . . . "
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Jonah's personal and nationalistic pride prevented him from recognising what God was doing through his ministry. He was willing to work for God - after what happened in the Mediterranean Sea - but not with God. He had allowed God to work through him, but he was either unaware or uncooperative as far as God's work in him was concerned.


Jonah's personal and nationalistic pride prevented him from recognising what God was doing through his ministry.

PHOTO: Jonah's personal and nationalistic pride prevented him from recognising what God was doing through his ministry. He was willing to work for God but not with God. He had allowed God to work through him, but he was either unaware or uncooperative as far as God's work in him was concerned.
Picture posted by Walter Muller on 16 October 2018 - Middle-Earth: Shadow of War
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But God, who is always full of grace, did not give up on His prophet. Jonah may have been a tough nut to crack, but God was patient. He was going to teach Jonah that His heart was big enough for all the peoples of the world - including a sulking prophet.


God, who is always full of grace, did not give up on His prophet.

PHOTO: God, who is always full of grace, did not give up on His prophet. Jonah may have been a tough nut to crack, but God was patient. He was going to teach Jonah that His heart was big enough for all the peoples of the world - including a sulking prophet.
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How does the prophet's reaction compare with those of the Pharisees in Jesus's day and the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:1-2, 25-30)?
Jonah's angry reaction [1]
Perhaps Jonah felt that his professional reputation as a prophet was at stake. The "authentic" prophet now faced the prospect of becoming an object of ridicule; as far as he was concerned, his professional reputation was more important than the salvation of the Ninevites.

Or, perhaps Jonah's anger came from nationalistic fervour. As an Israelite, he would have rejoiced at the destruction of Nineveh, the leading city of his people's enemies, the Assyrians.


Jonah's angry reaction was perhaps he felt that his professional reputation as a prophet was at stake.

PHOTO: Jonah's angry reaction was perhaps he felt that his professional reputation as a prophet was at stake. Or, perhaps his anger came from nationalistic fervour. As far as he was concerned, his personal and nationalistic pride was more important than the salvation of the Ninevites.
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The reaction of the Pharisees in Jesus's day [2]
Jesus had flouted their laws, overruled their authority, and exposed the hatred in their hearts to the entire crowd in the synagogue. They were so jealous of Jesus' popularity, his miracles, and the authority in his teaching and actions that they missed who he was -- the Messiah for whom they had been waiting.

Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees illustrates their unacceptable hypocrisy.

They refused to acknowledge Jesus because they were not willing to give up their treasured position and power. When Jesus exposed their attitudes, he became their enemy, and they began looking for ways to destroy him. In Jonah's case, he was also unwilling to sacrifice his professional reputation as a prophet but he was not jealous of God's authority and 'popularity' as He relent from bringing destruction to Nineveh. However, both the Pharisees' and Jonah's reaction showed that they were not really concerned about the salvation of others. They did not expressed any joy when the sinners repent and return to God.
 

The reaction of the Pharisees in Jesus's day
PHOTO: The reaction of the Pharisees in Jesus's day
Jesus had flouted their laws, overruled their authority, and exposed the hatred in their hearts to the entire crowd in the synagogue. They were so jealous of Jesus' popularity, his miracles, and the authority in his teaching and actions that they missed who he was -- the Messiah for whom they had been waiting.
Jesus’ condemnation of the Pharisees illustrates their unacceptable hypocrisy.
They refused to acknowledge Jesus because they were not willing to give up their treasured position and power. When Jesus exposed their attitudes, he became their enemy, and they began looking for ways to destroy him.
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The reaction of the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son [3]
The elder brother, had probably for years been jealous of his younger brother as their father’s favourite, spoiled and indulged as younger siblings can be, and he had deeply resented the father’s yielding to the whim of his young brother to go his own way, taking his share of the family’s substance and abandoning all feeling of responsibility to their father or the family or the inheritance. After squandering his share of the family property in riotous living, now the spendthrift had come back penniless, and their father and the family were actually celebrating his return!


The reaction of the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son

PHOTO: The reaction of the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son
The elder brother, had probably for years been jealous of his younger brother as their father’s favourite, spoiled and indulged as younger siblings can be, and he had deeply resented the father’s yielding to the whim of his young brother to go his own way, taking his share of the family’s substance and abandoning all feeling of responsibility to their father or the family or the inheritance.
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When the father then came out to plead with his elder son to come into the house and join in the welcoming of his brother, all this resentment burst out. He had given all his energy and time to working for his father for years like a slave; he had always done whatever his father wanted; he had never been given by his father even a young goat to celebrate with his friends. But now, he adds contemptuously, ‘this son of yours’ comes back after wasting ‘all your property’ with loose women – and you kill the fatted calf for him! (Luke 15:28-29) In the face of such powerful resentment and recrimination the unhappy father attempts to explain to his elder son that they are always together and the son is owner of all that the father has. ‘But’, he protests, ‘we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours [a gentle correction and appeal] was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found’ (Luke 15:31-32).


When the father then came out to plead with his elder son to come into the house and join in the welcoming of his brother, all this resentment burst out.

PHOTO: When the father then came out to plead with his elder son to come into the house and join in the welcoming of his brother, all this resentment burst out. He had given all his energy and time to working for his father for years like a slave; he had always done whatever his father wanted; he had never been given by his father even a young goat to celebrate with his friends.
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It would be difficult for Jesus’s opponents among the scribes and Pharisees not to realise that they were being criticised in the person of the elder jealous brother who represented them in their resentment of all the sinners they complained that Jesus was making so much of; just as later it would be difficult for Christian readers not to appreciate that if they resented the Church giving forgiveness to converts from paganism or penitent sinners at Easter, they too were taking the part of the vindictive elder brother.  It is the father, of course, who is the central figure of the whole parable, flanked on either side by his two sons, the extravagant and the resentful; and the central message of this parable of the lost son returning to his father’s embrace in spite of his brother’s jealousy, like the parable of the wandering sheep brought home in the shepherd’s arms and the parable of the housewife’s relief at finding her missing money, is that God’s joy is indescribable when sinners return to him. As Jesus declared to his critics, expressing his own feelings too, ‘Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance’ (Luke 15:7)


God’s joy is indescribable when sinners return to him.

PHOTO: God’s joy is indescribable when sinners return to him. ‘Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance’ (Luke 15:7)
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To both the elder brother and Jonah the salvation of others were not of their primary concern. There was no joy over those who were lost and found, but anger over what they themselves could have lost. The well-being of their self comes before others, which prevent them from recognising that the father, and God was giving forgiveness to the converts. Both the elder brother's and Jonah's reaction should be joy instead of anger. They should be rejoicing instead of being resentful and angry over anyone who was lost and has been found.

God, who is always patient and full of grace, did not give up on sinners, or sulking prophet. The story of Jonah and the major parable Jesus told, illustrate the rejoicing in heaven whenever anyone who has been lost is found. There are joys. The joy of God in forgiving those who return to him in repentance, and the joy of those who are forgiven unconditionally by a loving and understanding God.


God, who is always patient and full of grace, did not give up on sinners, or sulking prophet.

PHOTO: God, who is always patient and full of grace, did not give up on sinners, or sulking prophet. The story of Jonah and the major parable Jesus told, illustrate the rejoicing in heaven whenever anyone who has been lost is found.
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Dear Lord, we learn that Jonah instead of rejoicing and praising God, got angry when God spared Nineveh.
Dear Lord, we learn that Jonah instead of rejoicing and praising God, got angry when God spared Nineveh.


PHOTO: “Dear Lord, we learn that Jonah instead of rejoicing and praising God, got angry when God spared Nineveh. Perhaps Jonah felt that his professional reputation as a prophet was at stake. The "authentic" prophet now faced the prospect of becoming an object of ridicule; as far as he was concerned, his professional reputation was more important than the salvation of the Ninevites. Or, perhaps Jonah's anger came from nationalistic fervour. He would to see Israel’s greatest enemy defeated and put to shame.

Please help us not to have personal and nationalistic pride that prevented us from recognising what God was doing through our ministry. Help us to be willing to work for, as well as with God by being aware and cooperative in God’s work.

Please help us not to fall into Satan’s trap and react in the way as Jonah, the Pharisees in Jesus's day, and the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son. All have reacted angrily due to their misunderstanding ‘your love in the lives of some individuals which may be more spectacular than in the more humdrum lives of others’.

Help us to understand that this scarcely implies that you loves such people more than others, although perhaps one aspect of your love is more evident or more dramatic in some cases than in others.

Help us to understand your eager willingness to go the extra mile to forgive, responding generously to the slightest hint of repentance. We pray for your joy in forgiving those who return to you in repentance, and the joy of those who are forgiven unconditionally by a loving and understanding God.

Thank you for being patient and always full of grace, without giving up on us. We pray for your forgiveness of our wilful sins and hidden faults. Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!”
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Reflection - Jonah gets angry, God disciples - Jonah gets angry
Question from source (book): "God in Pursuit", Chapter 8, Question 1, Page 115.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012





Also from the same author, Robert M. Solomon

"Faithful to the end", A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon

'Faithful to the end', A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon<br>
Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html


"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html

 

Reference
[1] From "God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, Copyright © 2017 by Robert M. Solomon, ISBN 978-1-62707-801-6, Part IV: Jonah 4:1-11, Chapter 8 "Jonah gets angry, God disciples", Page 103-106.

[2] Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012, Reflection - Imitating Christ - in our attitudes and daily interactions, posted on Tuesday, 28 August 2018, Source (book): "Finding rest for the soul", https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/08/reflection-imitating-christ-in-our.html

[3] Jack Mahoney SJ, Thinking Faith, posted on 10 March 2010, The prodigal son and his jealous brother, https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20100310_1.htm

[33] See Courtney Anderson, To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson, Anniversary Edition (Judson Press, 1987).

[34] Edwin Markham, "Outwitted", Classic Poetry Series (The World's Poetry Archive, 2012), 18. http://www.poemhunter.com/i/ebooks/pdf/edwin_markham_2012_7.pdf.


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