Lent is a time of grace (the sages have told us this for eons), but will we ever listen? Will we ever learn how to benefit from the gift that is offered?
Enter the voice of the prophet Jonah, and the story of his long walk, across the city of Nineveh. The scriptures don't tell us much about this ancient city, other than to describe its size: 'Nineveh was an enormously large city; it took three days to cross it' (Jon 3:1-10) presumably on foot.
What else can we surmise about life in this city? There is no description of the people who lived there, but the scriptures don't just choose to speak about a city such as this based on the volume of souls who inhabited it. In this case, the determining factor was their interior dispositions. We'd probably be safe to assume that prior to Jonah's arrival, many if not the majority of Ninevites paid little or no attention to the call of God. As we look around us today, I wonder whether we could not equate our present day society with that of this ancient metropol. To make such a broad generality might be unfair, but the point is that we're not that different from our ancestors in faith.
The point of this story is that when Jonah made his way across the city, and challenged its inhabitants to change their hearts, they listened. We know nothing of those who may have refused to listen, or to heed the warning, and chances are that there were more than a few of these, but it would appear that at least some (dare we hope that the majority) listened and changed their ways.
In today's world, it's hard to imagine a Jonah walking through our city streets, but maybe God is using other occasions to get our attention (did we say war in the Middle East, earthquakes and tsunami in various parts of the world ...? ). Even in Jesus' time, society paid him little heed, except for the growing crowds who were drawn, perhaps out of curiosity at first, to listen to his teachings. Something about what he said must have caught their attention, and stuck because they continued to come back for more.
Were there some Ninevites who refused to listen? Were there more than a few Israelites who refused to heed the message of Jesus? Are there even more who seek today, and yet respond more often with skepticism rather than trust when they hear the good news? What will it take for people to pay attention? How should the message be proclaimed, so that we (and those we love) will finally listen?
What else can we surmise about life in this city? There is no description of the people who lived there, but the scriptures don't just choose to speak about a city such as this based on the volume of souls who inhabited it. In this case, the determining factor was their interior dispositions. We'd probably be safe to assume that prior to Jonah's arrival, many if not the majority of Ninevites paid little or no attention to the call of God. As we look around us today, I wonder whether we could not equate our present day society with that of this ancient metropol. To make such a broad generality might be unfair, but the point is that we're not that different from our ancestors in faith.
The point of this story is that when Jonah made his way across the city, and challenged its inhabitants to change their hearts, they listened. We know nothing of those who may have refused to listen, or to heed the warning, and chances are that there were more than a few of these, but it would appear that at least some (dare we hope that the majority) listened and changed their ways.
In today's world, it's hard to imagine a Jonah walking through our city streets, but maybe God is using other occasions to get our attention (did we say war in the Middle East, earthquakes and tsunami in various parts of the world ...? ). Even in Jesus' time, society paid him little heed, except for the growing crowds who were drawn, perhaps out of curiosity at first, to listen to his teachings. Something about what he said must have caught their attention, and stuck because they continued to come back for more.
Were there some Ninevites who refused to listen? Were there more than a few Israelites who refused to heed the message of Jesus? Are there even more who seek today, and yet respond more often with skepticism rather than trust when they hear the good news? What will it take for people to pay attention? How should the message be proclaimed, so that we (and those we love) will finally listen?
My trust in God started to grow when I reached the end of my rope. When my own thinking was causing so much chaos around me that it felt like i had no where else to turn. That was the closest thing to the truth I had ever experienced! I could not have planned this turning point in my life any more than I can plan it for anyone else. Attraction rather than promotion—especially for those I love—is how I pray that God will use me to help others experience his love and peace. Thanks for the reminders in this message (and to check back into the blog!!).
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