THE RELUCTANT PROPHET JONAH

Homily for Oct. 9^th, 2013: Jonah 4:1-11.

          For the last three days we have been hearing readings from one of the most remarkable books in the Bible: Jonah. Like Jesus’ parables and Shakespeare’s plays, Jonah is a work of fiction. But also like them, it contains profound truths about life. Indeed Jonah is an extended parable about God's mercy and his unlimited willingness to forgive.

The book begins with God’s call to Jonah to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. Unlike the other prophets, who obey God’s call, though in some cases reluctantly, Jonah’s response is, “No way.” He takes a ship going in the other direction from Nineveh. When a violent storm arises, the ship’s crew pray for deliverance. The only one not praying is Jonah, who remains asleep below. When the captain questions him he discovers that Jonah is fleeing God’s call. To appease God, they throw Jonah overboard. Swallowed by “a great fish,” who vomits him onto dry land after three days (the clearest indication of the book’s fictional character), Jonah now travels to Nineveh to preach repentance, though reluctantly. Nineveh symbolizes all the foreign nations who have oppressed God’s people. Jonah can’t stand the possibility that God will show mercy to one of Israel's enemies.

When Jonah tells the Ninevites they must repent, they do so at once. Whereupon God is merciful to them – and Jonah is burned up about it! In today’s first reading, we hearing him telling God of his anger. He is a sorehead! “Take my life,” he asks God. God remains merciful, however, even to his reluctant prophet. God provides a large-leafed plant to shelter Jonah from the sun’s heat. When the plant dies the next day, Jonah is angrier than ever. God has the final word: ‘You’re concerned about this plant, Jonah? And shouldn’t I be at least as concerned about all the people in this great city Nineveh?’

What is the takeaway for us? Simply this. God mercy and willingness to forgive are unlimited. When we resent God being good to people of whom we deeply disapprove, we’re like Jonah. And we’re also like another character in Holy Scripture: the elder brother in Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son. His anger at his father’s welcome for his shiftless younger brother is like Jonah’s anger at God’s goodness to the Ninevites. It shows that though the elder brother has never left home, he too is in a far country, far removed from his father’s boundless love and willingness to forgive. God's mercy is not only for us. It is for all.