INVITED TO REPENT AND BELIEVE

III SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Jonah 3:1-5,10

The first reading in this Sunday liturgy presents Jonnah being ordered to go to Nineveh and preach about the impending punishment due to their evil behaviour. 

The whole book of Jonah is puzzling because it seems to go against the conventional and traditional wisdom of the people of Israel. As a prophet - certainly a fictional prophet - Jonah is different from all other prophets. He decided to run away from God, going as far away as possible from the direction God had given him. It is as if he knew better than God, thus choosing to follow his way and do his will instead of God’s will. He could not understand how God would send him to Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrian Empire, the worst enemy of the people of Israel. Why would be God concerned with them? The Prophet Isaiah had spoken about Egypt being God’s people and Assyria the work of his hands (Is 19:25). In spite of that, the people of Israel looked down on the gentiles and despised the enemies as being destined to destruction. Jonah’s attitude was the prevalent attitude among the Jews. However, God is always full of surprises. And the book of Jonah is proof of that. God cares for all, even the enemies. He wants the salvation of all, using many different ways of calling people, leading them to recognise their sin, repent and turn back to God. 

Jonah could not run away from God and, even though unwillingly, he went to Nineveh. People listened to his preaching and repented. Seeing their repentance, God abandoned his intent on punishment. In the end, his threat of punishment was the last resort to make people aware of their self-destructing behaviour. God will do everything for us to understand that he wants life and salvation because he loves his people.

In the gospel of Mark, Jesus began his ministry with three simple statements:

1. The Kingdom of God is becoming a reality;
2. Repent
3. Believe the Good News.

God’s presence and action of salvation are present and being manifest among us in Jesus’ ministry. We are called to recognise our sinful behaviour, to repent and to turn back to God. Then, we are invited to believe in Jesus and in his message, the Good News of God’s merciful love. The people of Nineveh set an example for us. Like them, we must repent and change our behaviour. Then, we are ready to become Jesus’ disciples, accepting him as the Saviour.