3rd Sunday, Year B
22nd January 2012

I have always had a lot of sympathy for the prophet Jonah. There he was, living his simple little life, when God spoke to him and said, ‘up with you, go to Nineveh and tell them that I will overthrow the city because of their sins.’ Notice that God did not say to Jonah, hear me, I want to ask you to do something for me but he said, up with you, UP WITH YOU! Get off you backside….., go to Nineveh and say what I tell you to say.

Jonah reacted as most of us would have, he panicked. He felt that God had picked the wrong man. He was not the sort who would go out into the street and shout to passers by to mend their lives. This sort of thing is for other people, extroverts or whoever, but not him.

He ignored God’s call and became very busy with going on a journey. God did not let him off so easily. He followed him down to the ship and when they were at sea he blew up a great storm and all on board feared that they would perish.

Then Jonah knew that God was serious. He changed his mind and went to Nineveh and carried out God’s instructions and it saved the city.

Then Jonah got angry because God showed mercy to the people. So he was a very ordinary man with ordinary failings, not out of the top drawer at all. God called him nevertheless and pushed him until he carried out his will. Much good was accomplished as the result of it. Jonah was not pleased but we can see that it was unimportant. So when we receive a call to do something that is not our usual thing we could remember Jonah, his reluctance to get involved and the good that was achieved when he eventually changed his mind and did what was asked of him.