25 January 2015
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
exactly that--a fictional story used to teach people something. Make no mistake--Jonah was a real prophet and Ninevah was a real city. But nothing in the Book of Jonah resembles anything like what we know as historical fact. Rather, the story is SO far-fetched it reads like a parody, designed precisely to make us laugh at ourselves and at the narrowness of our own limited human thinking, in contrast to the vast expanse of God's mercy.
The part of the Jonah story we hear this Sunday tells of a servant who answered the Lord’s call to preach repentance to Ninevah, capital of Assyria and Israel’s worst nightmare from the ninth to the seventh centuries BCE.
In this story Jonah convinces the "evil empire" of his day to repent. And to everyone's surprise, they do so! Jonah even convinces God to repent of the evil he had threatened upon this city. (God repenting? An interesting play on words!)
But it is difficult to know, from today's reading, what is really in Jonah’s heart. Other parts of the story tell us much more about that. For instance, what we don’t hear proclaimed today* is how stubborn Jonah was, before answering the Lord’s call. When asked to go east to Ninevah, Jonah heads west to Tarshish. God has to arrange for a storm at sea and then a great fish to dump Jonah right back where he started. You see, it is only after the greatest reluctance that we meet the (finally) obedient Jonah in today’s reading.Another thing we miss, if we only pay attention to this week's portion of the story, is Jonah’s narrow-minded attitude. He is displeased that the Lord forgives and spares the city of Nineveh. How, Jonah wonders, can God’s mercy possibly extend to those who perform massive violence in the world? who threaten genocide against God's chosen people? How can God's mercy extend to "them"!
We also do not learn, in this part of the story, that all of
(fictitious) Nineveh repented of its sins immediately and in great
earnest. Unlike God's holy prophet, this god-forsaken city was, at least
in this biblical story, far from stubborn or reluctant.The ironic twists in this allegorical story portray a bit of God’s (or at least the human author’s) sense of humor. There is also much food for thought here. This is a story of repentance, love and mercy, and we learn this lesson from the unlikeliest of all sources, "them"!Who is "them" for you?
And who belongs to "us"? Can we reach beyond "us" to see "them" as beloved of God? Are we willing to do what it takes to speak God's Word, even when it makes us uncomfortable, embarrassed, or downright frightened? How might "we," our closest faith community (parish, school, family) help us overcome our reluctance? How might God send storms and "great fish" to help us?
*An important aspect of Bible Study is to consider the entire context, rather than an isolated passage. This often sheds more light on the selection’s message.
Jointly authored by Barbara Gawle and Barbara Jean Daly Horell.
