Loading...Our stories today from the Bible seem – unrealistic, fantastical, even legendary. Jonah had been called by God to go preach to the Ninevites, who were Assyrians (Nineveh was the capital of the ancient Assyrian empire) and who were horrible people who had murdered and tortured many Israelites.
Jonah was probably thinking,
“these Ninevites are so terrible, why would they even consider changing?!?”
Or, “they aren’t Jewish, so why would they even care about what YHWH says?”
Jonah is SO reluctant and crabby, even after he’s called a second time by God!
Yet, he made the proclamation (after he’d walked only one day’s worth into town). And, the people – including the king -- heard the message and repented.
These outsiders, foreigners, horrible, terrible people
heard grace and hope in Jonah’s message and repented
(or else, they were scared to be destroyed....).
And, God changed God’s mind!
Don’t let anyone tell you that God never changes God’s mind.
[with exasperation]: Honestly!?!?
Is this just a story that has grown dramatically as it has gone through
the grapevine? It just seems too unreal; too ... fairy-tale like.
Sure, it’s encouraging to the reluctant prophets amongst us,
except it is just too much out of the realm of possibility.
So, what do we do with it?
What sort of impact does a story like this truly have upon you?
What does Jonah and his story tell us about following God,
about a “call from God”,
about faithfulness?
Here are some possibilities; holler out “Amen” when you hear one you agree with (you can agree with more than one):
- God asks strange, uncomfortable things of us;
- God wants us to talk to strangers and enemies even if we don’t want to;
- Even if we say “no” the first (couple of )times, God is persistent. Stubborn, even;
- In point of fact, it doesn’t necessarily take much on our part (Exhibit A: Jonah and his “preaching”) because God idoing the real heavy lifting of changing and transforming people;
- God doesn’t give up on us or on you;
- Or, other possibilities.....?
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Then there’s Jesus calling these disciples.
Except at this point they are still fisherfolk in the family business.
The language Mark (the Gospel writer) used is fascinating:
About Simon and Andrew, Mark wrote, “And immediately they left their nets and followed him”
about James and John, he wrote, “Immediately he called them and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired hands, and followed him.”
They left.
Immediately.
They abandoned what they knew – family, home, business –
for an itinerant preacher/rabbi/healer (who wasn’t yet known as such)
who asked them.
Who compelled them to follow.
We are left with many questions, including
what about their mothers?
or, poor Zebedee, gawping in the boat?
or, the hired hands, left with the job to do and, yet again, not chosen?
What is this to which they’ve been called?
Why would they walk away from all that they knew?
Why would they follow?
What is so compelling about Jesus?
There are definitely more questions than answers,
but this last one – what is so compelling about Jesus –
hauls us out of the enigma of this gospel story about two sets of brothers
and into the wondering of our own call and invitation to follow
How does Jesus call you to follow?
Does he do so “immediately” and with such a force of will that you feel as though you’ve no choice but to drop everything and go?
Or, is the call more of the “poke, poke, prod, prod” variety that happens over time with lots of confusion, listening, pondering, praying, and talking before actually following?
Maybe you feel like the hired hands in the boat – Jesus called others, but not me. So, back to the nets with a little wistfulness or sadness (not recognizing what your call may really be?)
Possibly, you feel more like Jonah and go the other way. It takes a second (or third) call, and you go reluctantly to do the work (do you feel like you have a choice?), but not necessarily with joy?
Amidst all these questions, this I know
from my own experience, from Scripture, and from observation:
The call from God,
the invitation from Jesus,
the pulling and pushing along by the Spirit
is given to each and every one of you.
The invitation is to love others completely, unconditionally,
and with the big heart of God.
The call is to care and to serve in compassion and with empathy.
And, we are compelled to talk about and NAME this one who
loves us, heals us, nourishes us, names us, claims us, wants to be with us, and who wants us to be companions along the way –
pilgrims on the journey together.
How? We learn as we go.
We listen, we risk, we experiment, we trust.
We follow the one who calls you by name: “Follow me!”
Amen
