I was talking with a friend recently who said that he had gone to a “routine” annual physical last year. He’s in his early 50’s and in good health, eats right, exercises – checks all the boxes. During the exam, he told his doctor about some recent fatigue and the doctor gave a listen to his heart. She heard what she thought was a little murmur and said, “It’s probably nothing to be concerned about, but you should probably get that checked out…” Well my friend was going to dismiss it, but ended up booking with a cardiologist. Turns out it was a bicuspid valve issue that he, ultimately, needed surgery for. If he had not heeded the advice of his doctor, he could have died.
Did you ever heed a warning and were glad you did?
Today’s scriptures are all about heeding advice.
In the first reading from Jonah 3, Jonah is going through the city of Nineveh warning the people of the impending doom if they do not change their ways. As you may remember, when God called Jonah to go to Nineveh, Jonah ran the other way! He was eventually swallowed by a giant fish and was spit out on the shores of Nineveh. But why would Jonah NOT want to go to Nineveh?
As I have written about before, Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire – the enemies of Israel. And while it was a great cultural and economic center of that empire, it was also the center of their military might. In terms of their military, the Assyrians were known as occupiers who took over land and resources, displaced people and used violence against dissenters. Furthermore the leaders of Nineveh were known for their shifty diplomacy and duplicitous alliances, often breaking treaties and betraying their partners for political gain.
Does this sound like the kind of place you’d want to visit let alone go into preaching repentance? It’s hard to even know what a modern corollary might be, but imagine if you were “called” by God to go to a place like Moscow, Russia, to speak to the people and to tell Mr. Putin he needs to change his ways!
Amazingly, the people hear Jonah’s message and repent! Furthermore, the leadership of Nineveh is so moved by what they witness in the people that they, too, decide to repent. Now that is a great example of bottom-up change!
What I also find very powerful in the reading is a part when the king – who in his declaration of repentance – says, “every one shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence they have in hand.”
The people and their leaders turned away from the many forms of violence that they were part of.
Fast forward to the gospel reading from Luke 11. Jesus, like Jonah, has been preaching and teaching about a new way of living more in line with God’s plan. A way of love. A way of non-violence. A way that enables all people to be free. The people gathered around Jesus have asked for a “sign” so that they know that the call to repent and change their lives is “real.” In fact, they want evidence that Jesus is “really from God.” They want to be sure this is not “fake news.”
Jesus responds that this generation “seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.”
So much comes down to the question, “Do we believe the warnings that have been given to us?”
It’s no secret that our culture – while embodying so much good – also has so many similarities to the Assyrian empire and many other empires. We have dominated others, taken land and crushed dissent. Our leaders frequently come from the ruling classes and make deals that suit their interests. We have destroyed ecosystems and other species in pursuit of comfort, convenience and ease.
Yet we have had our share of “Jonahs” who have come to us along the way:
Indigenous elders told the settlers, “When the last tree is cut, the last river poisoned, and the last fish dead, you will discover that you can’t eat money…” Did we heed this warning?
In 1962 Rachel Carson warned us of the dangers of toxins in our waters and raised the alarm against the role of big-chemical companies and corporate neglect. Did we heed this warning?
Martin Luther King warned us in the 1960’s about the “giant triplets of evil” (racism, militarism and materialism) which dominated our country and warned us that “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” Did we heed this warning?
Martin Niemoller warned us back in the 1930’s about the dangers of authoritarian governments and what happens if we do not speak out and resist on behalf of those who are being oppressed. Are we heeding his warning?
Every time I read the story of Jonah, I wonder to myself, “What did Jonah say that was so compelling that the people of Nineveh listened?” And I also wonder, “What was it about the people of Nineveh, and eventually their leaders, that made them ready to take in this message of repentance and change their ways?”
And I wonder, “Am I prepared to take in Jesus’ message and let it change me – knowing that it will require behavior change? What in my life needs to change to get me more aligned with that message? Am I willing to go to places that ‘scare me’ in order to bear witness to this message of radical love and inclusion? How do we support each other as so many of us try to do this collectively and imperfectly?”
Maybe we could ponder these questions during Lent and keep taking steps that move us closer God’s dream – heeding the warnings before it is too late.
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