Jesus gave a scathing rebuke to the Pharisees when they asked for a sign that he was from God. He addressed their entire generation when he reminded them of the repentace of the people of Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria and had the reputation for being the most vile enemies the Israelites had ever encountered. Idolatrous and viciously cruel, when Jonah was sent to preach to them and call them to repent, he had no hope that they would respond favorably to his message. In fact, he feared so for his life that he ran in the other direction causing God to intervene with a big, big fish! (Jonah 1:17)
When Jesus was reminding the Pharisees about that familiar story, he contrasted the unexpectedly soft-hearted response of repentance that the Ninevites displayed, with the hard-hearted skepticism of the Pharisees. What Jesus warned them about was judgment day. He told them that when they stood before God, the people of Nineveh would stand up as witnesses against them.
When I think of the temptations I've given in to, I wonder who might be standing next to me on that Day? Who will have resisted the same temptation in harder circumstances? When I think of excuses I've made for not doing good, I think about people with greater impediments than mine who have pushed through and sacrificed for a righteous cause.
I know judgment day doesn't work that way for the redeemed, but it is still a good motivating thought for me when I feel the odds are stacked against my righteousness in a way that gives me a "valid" excuse.
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