This painting is a depiction of the prophet Jonah, standing on the hill overlooking Ninevah. He was furious that God spared the city, which Jonah thought deserved judgement and destruction. The Assyrians had mercilessly terrorized his people. Adding insult to injury, the sun beat down on his head. A plant sprung up on the hill, and Jonah experienced some minor comfort from the shade of the gourd plant. A worm caused the plant to die, further infuriating Jonah.
God inquired, “Do you do well to be angry”? The rhetorical question challenged Jonah to look at his grace-less heart. The title of the painting “Gift Worm” suggests a way to reframe God’s lesson. How was the worm a gift? It also suggest a way to reframe our own undigested unforgiveness.
