“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!’” – Romans 10:14-15
Paul draws from Isaiah and Nahum to show that the message of salvation was never meant to be locked within Israel’s borders—it was always intended to flow outward to the nations. The beauty is not in the feet themselves, but in the message they carry: the gospel of peace. Sadly, Israel often resisted this call, choosing exclusivity over mission, much like Jonah who begrudged God’s mercy toward Nineveh.
Jonah’s story is more than a tale of a reluctant prophet—it is a mirror for God’s people. Jonah boldly proclaimed restoration to Israel in 2 Kings, but when God sent him to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire that had oppressed Israel, he resisted. He hated the thought of Gentiles receiving mercy. Yet when he finally obeyed, one sermon brought an entire city to repentance. Jonah’s feet may not have seemed beautiful to him, but the message he carried was. The lesson is clear: salvation has always been by faith, not by rituals or borders. Israel had an example in their own history, but they chose to ignore it. Paul reminds us that the gospel is not exclusive—it is for all who believe.
The same challenge comes to us today. Too often, the church hides within its own bubble, bold in places where everyone agrees, but reluctant where opposition is strong. Yet Jesus sends us into the mission field as “sheep among wolves” (Matthew 10:16). The gospel must go beyond our comfort zones, beyond our borders, beyond the walls we build to protect ourselves. Like Jonah, we may be tempted to keep salvation to ourselves, but Christ calls us to proclaim it to the Ninevehs of our world—the places we least want to go. May we not be willfully ignorant of God’s parameters of faith. Instead, let our feet carry the beautiful message of salvation wherever He sends us, trusting that His Spirit equips us to be bold, even when the world resists.
“The preaching of the gospel is the means appointed of God for the communication of faith. Men come to believe by hearing; and hearing is by the Word preached. Without this, faith is not ordinarily wrought in the hearts of men.”— John Owen
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