A Moment Aside for 17 September 2020

 

A Moment Aside ---- 17 September 2020

 

     If I might be allowed such a thing, my favourite book of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible is the book of Jonah. It reads in some ways like a comic book and I’d enjoy seeing a comic book of Jonah. Part of the book is the first reading for Sunday’s Worship, but I’m preaching on something else, so this devotional will be an edited sermon.

     The story of Jonah is well known. God calls Jonah to be a prophet to the hated city of Nineveh and warn them of destruction. So Jonah runs off to “Tarshish” (what we call Spain) so Nineveh could receive God’s wrath. Nineveh was the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire who were the enemies of Israel and the Hebrew people. A storm hits the ship and Jonah confesses that he’s on the run from God. He’s tossed over the side and a “big fish” (a whale?) swallows him then soon vomits him up on the shore. God again says “Go to Nineveh!” and this time Jonah goes… reluctantly. He preaches “40 days more and Nineveh will be destroyed!” for only a brief time before the ruler and the people repent and declare a fast. They all dress in sack-cloth (what we’d call burlap) as well and in fact, drape all the animals in sack-cloth as well. (This is an ancient sign of repentance.) God relents and Jonah is angry. He sets up housekeeping outside the city and is glad when a plant grows up to shade him. (Remember this is Iraq or thereabouts!) A worm comes and eats the plant which falls, leaving Jonah to stew in his own juices in the desert sun. He complains to God, who says “Did you make the plant? I did! Shouldn’t I also be concerned for the thousands of people of Nineveh, many of whom don’t know their right hand from their left? And what about the animals too?”

     The story of Jonah is believed to have been told to drive home the point that God’s mercy is for more than just the people of Israel. It has real meaning for us all even today

·         God’s mercy and care are for all people.

·         God’s mercy and care are even for people different from us.

·         God’s mercy and care are even for the people we don’t like.

·         God’s mercy and care are constant, even to those who appear to oppose God.

·         God’s call will come even to the reluctant, to the prejudiced, and to the hard-headed.

·         God’s message will be proclaimed even if it takes a big fish to vomit the proclaimer up on the shore!

·         If we get angry because our rose bushes don’t look so great… well, God is concerned… and God is still concerned for the rest of the world as well.

     Of course, this brief summary does not do justice to the Book of Jonah. Read it for yourself. Think of it as a comic book and hear what the Spirit is still telling us.