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Learning from Jonah HOMILY PREACHED ON EPIPHANY 3, 1/22/06 [The Book of Jonah] It was the weirdest thing I ever did. I’d heard of Nineveh, capital of Assyria — rumors said a bad place, full of gentile decadence and all kinds of gods — not ours. My dad, Amittai, told me about the place. He made his living as a prophet up near Nazareth. He said God wanted me to go to Nineveh and bring down his wrath on the place. Lots of reasons I didn’t want to go, the least of which I could get killed — for what? Imagine one man — a foreigner, different religion — coming into town, having to speak through an interpreter to tell bad guys to repent or my God would nuke’em! That would be so effective! So. . . I ran in the opposite direction — bought passage to Tarshish. Onboard ship I was feeling a mixture of relief and guilt when I suddenly found myself in the midst of a fierce storm at sea. But it was the noise of the crew that woke me up, pleading — yelling — to their gods to save them, trying to figure out what — or who! - had made them angry. When I ‘fessed up to what I’d done, they tried to get me back to shore, and when that didn’t work they threw me overboard. Instantly the sea calmed down. I fought my way up to the surface, coughing and sputtering salt water I’d swallowed. Just as I caught my breath I looked up into the jaws of the biggest fish I’d ever seen! I got religion fast, never prayed so hard in my life as I slide down his throat with the incoming rush of water! You cast me into the abyss, O God, into the heart of the sea! Chaos surrounds me as your waves wash over me. Help! I’m cast away from your sight, water rising up to my throat, seaweed wrapped around my head. I was close to passing out when I remembered you, Lord! My prayer comes before you. . . . please hear. . . ! I croaked it out. Three days in the belly of a whale is 72 hours too long. Smelly and cold down there, but I was strangely warm, felt weirdly safe. Finally the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited me onto that shore. This time when God spoke, I listened, and when he told me to "denounce the people of Nineveh for their sinful ways," I obeyed. Loudly and in public I pronounced their impending doom. To my amazement - and absolute fury! - they repented, renouncing their evil behavior and all the wicked things they’d done! I was furious! I knew this would happen! I yelled at God,"You are such a wimp!" I knew you wouldn’t follow through with your threat — too soft-hearted! Too ready to forgive! That’s precisely why I headed to Tarshish! I expected destruction - a mushroom cloud; and all I saw was people wearing sackcloth, repenting - and covered with your forgiveness! Trouble with you is you’re compassionate to people I don’t like!" In protest I walked east out of the city to pout, plan my revenge, pray for Nineveh’sdestruction — or hope to die. It was a stifling hot day, and God very nicely had this huge, fast-growing plant spring up to give shade to my flimsy shelter. But next day a worm attacked it, caused it to wither — that day even hotter, confirming that I couldn’t really trust God. But he read my thoughts, and spoke to me very softly, kindly. "Jonah, if you can have pity on this stupid plant that grew up & died in one day, can’t I take pity on Nineveh, where more than 120,000 people live - and all those kids? I guess. . . . He had me there. I thought back to those humane — charitable, really — gentile sailors. They had rowed hard to get me safely back to shore, begging God’s forgiveness when they had to throw me overboard to save the ship. For the first time I saw God as the merciful Creator of all people, gentile and Jew. No way could we Jews keep God to ourselves. I had to confess my self-centered righteousness, while ordinary humanity - with so many likeable qualities - was ready to respond to God’s salvation, a gift I’d been unwilling to share. So. . . where is your Nineveh? Up to your neck in chaos? Let me give you directions to your own, personal Nineveh, tell you how to find it. It’s the place you don’t want to go and know you need to — which keeps you running, always in the opposite direction from where you’d find your own peace, even as anger and guilt prevent you from noticing all the nice people, all the good things happening all around you. I can tell you: stop running. Say your prayers, ask God for help, and let that big fish you’re living inside belch you up on the shore where you need to go. Start walking toward that place where you feel inadequate. A loving God will meet you there, ready to help you with yourself, your understanding and work, your fulfillment. Most people don’t think they’ll find anything. They’ve given up, accepted what is, and set up housekeeping inside the fish. And what about the people there — the ones you really don’t wish the best for — whatever label you attach that allows you to disregard them? What if God loves them, too — each of them, even when you don’t? And maybe God is sending you to them, not to agree, but to care for, sharing God’s love. I learned a really important lesson from that experience: God cares about you — is with you - even when you’re trying to run away and avoid him, just like he cared for those people he sent me to, even as he cared for me. That still amazes me. I didn’t know. (heavy sigh) Back to Nineveh now, my adopted family, whom I have grown to love. I see that big fish off shore once in a while. I just stand and wave, and thank him for his hospitality — and I thank you for yours.
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