God's Word on Sunday: In God’s way, mercy extends to all

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) Jan. 24 (Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 25; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20)

This very abridged version of the story of Jonah omits some of the most important — and interesting — aspects of his prophetic ministry.

First, there was his absolute reluctance — read “refusal” — to accept God’s call to prophesy to the Ninevites. In fact, he ran the other way and got out of town. We do not find out until the end of the story why he was so disinclined to do what God asked of him. All of the Old Testament prophets were reluctant and hesitant, but not one of them had refused God’s call outright.

And then there was his (mis)adventure at sea. When a storm threatened to destroy his ship, he agreeably allowed the sailors to throw him over the side to appease God. He was promptly swallowed by a huge sea creature and after three days was spewed up on the shore. Then, and only then, did he decide that perhaps it was not prudent to refuse or disobey God, so on to Nineveh he went. As he walked throughout the city, he proclaimed the chilling news: in 40 days, Nineveh would be overthrown. Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire and in their day, the Assyrians had been masters of cruelty, terror and oppression. By the time this was written, they were a distant but still potent memory, for they had been overthrown centuries before. In the story, they did the unimaginable: they took his proclamation to heart and repented in fasting, sackcloth and ashes. God was impressed and cancelled the prophecy of doom.

At the end of the full version of the story, Jonah sat sulking by the side of the road. He wanted to see the Ninevites get what was coming to them and he was not happy with God’s mercy. God had to remind him that the Ninevites were human beings and that He cared for them too.

The full story has several things to teach us. Resist as we might, in the end God’s will is what counts. We have the power to change our destiny and future by our decisions — repentance can lead to forgiveness, healing and restoration. No one is predestined to perish. And finally, God’s love and mercy extend to all, even to those whom we fear and hate. This is hard for many to accept, but it is God’s way.

Paul warned his followers that the time had grown short and that all should live with their bags packed. They should live in the present moment and show as little concern for worldly things as possible. This was written at a time when all expected that the end was imminent. Jesus would return at any moment to take the faithful with Him and to exercise the universal judgment of humanity.

It is hard to take this seriously after 2,000 years, but there is still a point. Disease, crime, natural disaster and a host of other things can snatch us away at any moment. Nuclear war and environmental collapse hang like a cloud over our collective heads. Perhaps the time has grown short — we need to pay more attention to the things that really matter.

The same urgency and call to conversion were present in the proclamation of Jesus. The long waiting was over — the proper moment had arrived for God’s dramatic intervention in human history. That intervention’s name was Jesus. God’s reign was approaching and was very near — the earthly powers were living on borrowed time. This called for repentance, which was a radical inner renewal characterized by a change of mind and heart.

Finally, the call was to believe in the good news. If the first three elements of the proclamation are true, there is no need to explain “good news.” If only we could recapture the joy and sense of excitement and anticipation that resulted from His proclamation.

Humanity has grown rather cold and far too comfortable with the status quo, especially when it serves the select few. Jesus immediately hunted down some fishermen, known to us as Simon, Andrew, John and James. He called them to be fishers of people. Fishing was a Biblical end-times symbol denoting the final ingathering of souls before the judgment. The “catch” consisted of turning the minds and hearts of people towards God. There is no calling of greater importance, especially in the difficult times in which we live.