The young students fled, clutching their bibles tightly. Jonah remained behind with the poor man in the pastel sweater.

"Look," Jonah was saying, "God is outside of time, right?"

"That's a popular model, yes," sighed the man.

"Ok, so God can sit back and look down on the whole thing, the beginning and the end, everything, right? And he created it all. So how can you say God isn't responsible for everything? How can you say he didn't make everything happen?

The man sighed again. "Look, Jonah, I understand what you're saying, I really do. Sometimes it's hard to see how sovereignty and free will can work together. But what do you expect from our little finite brains? Do you really think the mind of God is understandable to you and I in our fallen state? Be careful, Jonah, that you don't limit God by your own clever ideas."

"Or yours," thought Jonah.

"No," the man continued, "God is sovereign, and we are responsible for our own actions. Perhaps we can't really understand this. But who are we to question God? It's good to think about these mysteries, Jonah, but there are times when we need to put them aside for things more productive. Ok?" He smiled stiffly and gave Jonah a little pat on the shoulder. Then he stood and began to gather his loose papers.

When he turned to say goodbye, Jonah was already gone.