Wednesday of the First Week in Lent

Lectionary: 226

Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you.""
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD's bidding.

 C an an entire city, from its king to the animals in its stalls, repent of their sins and turn back to the Lord? Can a church or nation do this? And if it did, would it make a difference? 

Jonah is an amusing fiction of a reluctant prophet's unexpected success where he hoped to fail. Remembering the long history of Nineveh's Assyrian cruelty to its small neighbor, Jerusalem, he saw no reason why he or God should forgive them. So when commanded him to go east and announce God's merciful justice, he went west. 

But, as we all know, the Lord prevailed and, to Jonah's dismay, the entire city repented and the Lord was pleased. And amused by the prophet's disappointment. He gave him a chance to change his attitude -- 

"Should I not be concerned over the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot know their right hand from their left, not to mention all the animals?”

The story ends like the Prodigal Son, and we do not know if Jonah was ever reconciled with God's mercy. But it's not hard to find ourselves in a similar predicament. Which of us in this polarized century does not expect and hope the Wrath will descend upon our enemies? They should at least see how stupid and wicked they are. 

But we pray daily and many times a day, "Hallowed be thy name! Thy kingdom come!" According to the Lord's Prayer our concern is the Glory of God -- “Ad majorem Dei gloriam” as the Jesuits like to say: "for the greater glory of God." With that prayer we set aside our own concerns, as great or petty as they might be, to prefer the promise and longing for God's kingdom. 

Whether God's kingdom arrives in fire, flood, disease, and catastrophe or by healing, reconciliation, mercy, and joy is not our concern. Whether God's salvation arrives piecemeal, one by one for individuals only; or for entire cities and nations -- as unlikely as that seems -- is again none of our concern. 

We should only stand with all creation, eager, expectant, and hopeful -- on tiptoe like a child watching a parade -- 

For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God;

for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope

that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. (Romans 8: 19-21)

It will happen. Watch for it!