Brothers and sisters in Christ, peace be with you. Today’s reading from the Book of Exodus isn’t just a story about the Israelites escaping from Egypt. It’s also a powerful lesson about the human heart—yours and mine—and how easily we can turn back from the good we’ve begun. Pharaoh is a warning.
At first, he lets the people go. After plague after plague, he finally gives in and allows the Israelites to leave. It almost seems like a moment of humility. A gesture of repentance. But as soon as they’re gone, Pharaoh’s heart turns again. He says, “What have we done?” And in his pride and anger, he rushes to undo the very act of mercy he just performed. He sets out to drag them back by force. How many times have we done something similar?
How many times have we resolved to change—a real moment of surrender or kindness or repentance—only to take it back the next day? Maybe we said we’d forgive someone, but then we nursed the grudge all over again. Maybe we confessed our sins, but the moment discomfort or fear hit us, we fell back into old ways. Maybe we let something go in prayer, only to go chasing after it again, because we weren’t quite ready to trust God completely. Pharaoh teaches us this: a moment of repentance is not enough if the heart is still hard. And the only way to avoid Pharaoh’s trap is to keep checking our motives.
Why did Pharaoh really let the people go? Was it because he wanted to do the right thing—or because he wanted to stop the plagues and ease his own suffering?
And what about us? Why do we turn to God? Why do we repent? Is it because we are truly sorrowful for our sins, because we love God and want to be free—or is it just to avoid the consequences, to get some peace back in our lives?
That’s the question Jesus puts to the Pharisees in today’s Gospel. They ask Him for a sign, not out of faith, but out of pride. They’re not looking for the truth—they’re looking to test Him, to use Him for their own ends. But Jesus tells them no sign will be given, except the sign of Jonah—the sign of death and resurrection, of true repentance, of humility.
The people of Nineveh heard Jonah’s preaching and turned their lives around. Pharaoh, in contrast, seemed to repent but then hardened his heart again. So which are we? Let’s not be like Pharaoh, who undid his own act of mercy. Let’s not take one step toward God, only to take two steps back because of pride, fear, or self-interest. Let’s not just make gestures of repentance—let’s seek real conversion of heart.
And when we feel tempted to turn back, to undo the good we’ve begun, let’s remember the words God spoke to Moses: “Tell the people to go forward.” No matter what is behind you—regret, failure, fear—God is calling you forward. He is ready to fight for you, to part the waters, to lead you through the impossible. But we must go forward with soft hearts. Honest hearts. Humble hearts. That’s the path to true freedom, in Christ.
Amen.
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