Beware of Children's Bibles!

I love reading Bible stoiries to my kids. We have three or four Children's Bibles to choose from. Often the kids ask to read the same stories over and over. One favorite is Jonah- maybe it's something about the ocean and the big fish.

Well, one night we are reading and we come to the end of Jonah's story and the Children's Bible concludes with, "And Jonah went and preached to Nineveh. The Ninevites repented. And God was pleased that Jonah obeyed."

What? God was pleased that Jonah obeyed? This is simplistic moralism! This is a complete misrepresentation of the end of Jonah! In the end, Jonah did obey God and preach to the Ninevites, and they repented. Jonah basically tells God, "I told you so".

But then comes the twist to the story. Jonah is sitting under a vine, getting some nice shade, and then God withers the vine. Jonah complains and God reprimands Jonah. God basically says to Jonah, "Do you just care about getting some shade? Don't you realize that Nineveh has many people and cattle that I care about? Don't you realize the depth of my compassion for others?"

Here's the rub...many Children's Bibles, in an effort to find the "moral of the story", end up missing God's heart. Yes- part of Jonah's lesson is that we need to obey God when he tells us to do something, lest we spend a few days in a stinky belly of a fish. But the larger point here is God's compassion for everyone around Jonah- the sailors are saved, the Ninevites are spared, and God says he is even concerned about the cattle.

This principle is also true of much preaching to adults. Often we teach people to "behave like better Christians" without telling them the reason for why they should obey God. It is God's grace and compassion that motivate us. His Spirit strengthens us so that when we obey it is not merely to do what he says, but it is an expression of love and also part of his bigger kingdom purpose.

Next time you read a bible story to your kids, don't just look for the moral of the story, look for the deeper expression of God's heart. Teach your kids to do the right things for the right reasons.