Revelation 10:8-10 – Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, "Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land." So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll, and he said to me, "Take it and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach but sweet as honey in your mouth." So I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. (NRSV)

I came to get my car from my neighbourhood mechanic and asked, "What's the charge today?"

"No charge," he immediately replied.

Now, that was good news, since I had expected a hefty bill for my 14-year-old car.

"That's hard to believe," I said, "with all the problems I've had."

"I don't charge for bad news," he responded and went on to tell me that my vehicle was beyond repair, could not be fixed safely, and would not pass inspection.

No charge!

What I received at first as sweet news quickly soured in my stomach and was bitter news indeed.

But it was news that I needed to hear! My car was unsafe. My car could be dangerous for me and to others. I needed to heed the warning or face the consequences.

The gospel is good news and as sweet as honey in the mouth of someone ready to heed it. But it turns sour in the stomach of someone not ready to hear, like Augustine before his conversion, who cried out in prayer, "Lord, make me chaste [sexually pure] — but not yet!" When the gospel is ignored, the consequences are eternal in nature. Too many parables and sayings of Jesus, like the parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46), for example, tell us of the costs of ignoring the good news. But the news is still good news and is given to avoid future ruin.

The gospel is good news — no charge! Do you welcome the free gift of God's grace into your life, or are you still at the "not yet" moment?

Prayer: God, there is news that doesn't feel good that comes to us through the circumstances of life. There is news that is hard to swallow and yet is meant for our well-being. Help us to receive the good news of Jesus Christ and to be transformed by His love and care for us. Amen.

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About the author:

Kenn Stright <kennethstright@yahoo.ca>
West Petpeswick, Nova Scotia, Canada
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