Proper 20 (A) Fair Deal or Loving Gift!
Proper 20 (A)Fair Deal or Loving Gift!
The Old Testament story of Jonah is aimed at those Jews who rejected the hope that God’s love and forgiveness was a gift to all.
The Gospel story of the last-minute workers is aimed at those in the Church who reject the concept that God cares for all and in His sovereign wisdom can include who He wants, when He wants them, and under what conditions.
Both stories are intentionally unfair. Jonah would say it is not fair for a city with a notorious reputation for bloody violence and murder to go unpunished. And the early workers would say that it is unfair for the last-minute workers to receive equal pay with those who worked twelve hours through the heat of the day.
Both stories allow us to examine our attitudes and beliefs in contrast to God’s concern and response to His potential family. Both stories present a choice between violent rejection, and the peace of acceptance.
The author who wrote the story of Jonah was aiming his tale at an audience of Jews who had grown increasingly provincial and exclusive. Who had totally rejected God’s commission to be witnesses to His love through service to others in need. Jonah was really a caricature of the entire nation of Israel’s narrow mind-set. To the Jews there were not just foreigners, there were unclean, unwashed, dirty foreigners.
Jonah was called to preach repentance to a whole city of these “dirty foreigners.” In Jonah’s mind-set (and in reality, Israel’s mind-set), they were not worth the trouble. We might say, “they were not worth the powder to blow them away.” Jonah’s reluctance went deeper than that however. His prejudice was so entrenched, he feared that after preaching repentance these “dirty foreigners” might in fact…. repent, and God would forgive them. Jonah (this caricature of the mind-set of Israel), was not about to facilitate that possibility, so (in the story), he bought a ticket to a city as far away from Nineveh as he could get.
Here, the story-teller reminds his audience, how awesome God can be when His mighty plan of redemption is being thwarted. When we are not willing to allow God’s truth into our consciousness and deal with it … God’s truth has a way of dealing with us, and it is not always pleasant. What better way to symbolize the terrible and terrifying loneliness of sin, than a three-day ride in the slimy belly of a monster of the sea. Can you imagine any blacker, more sickening nightmare!? When we are out of step with God, it can be rough.
When he reached Nineveh, I don’t think Jonah would have needed to stop to ask anyone’s permission to preach God’s message of repentance. It was the most successful mission the world has ever seen. Every one of those “dirty foreigners” repented! All of them turned from their evil ways. But did Jonah rejoice? No, he sulked. He sulked because he was still caught in the provincial prejudice of the Israelite nation. How could God have forgiven these ruthless terrorists?? And, that’s where the story-teller leaves Jonah, and Israel…. and us. Sitting on the side of a hill waiting to see if God will give them what they deserve.
The story of Jonah confronts each of us right at the cutting edge of our own pet prejudice. Who do you and I reject? Who have you and I written off as “not worth the effort?” Would we be reluctant or even refuse to be messengers and witnesses of God’s redeeming love? How would we respond as individuals and as a church if one of these “ugly” people presented convincing evidence that they had had a change of heart? How long would we sit on that hill with Jonah feeling sorry for ourselves, and impatient with God’s patience.
That’s what the book of Jonah is about. According to Harper’s Bible Commentary:
“It addresses the Israelites in their walled in sanctuaries in Jerusalem, brooding over the wickedness of the world as they imagine it, and clutching their faith to their bosom, while the real world, like the decent sailor and the responsive Ninevites, is crying out for the word of God to be preached to them by His reluctant servants.”
The challenge set before the church today is the same challenge laid before it at the very beginning. Set all my people free from the prison of their sins by proclaiming to them God’s forgiveness and love. Wouldn’t you agree that knowing that we have a God who loves us always…. No matter what….is our greatest joy.
We are like the early workers in today’s Gospel, who even though they labored hard through the heat of the day, enjoyed the assurance that they would receive their “daily bread.” When we pray, “Give us today our daily bread.” We have the daily assurance of a God who can and will.
Rather than envy the “last minute workers” who spent the whole day anxiously wondering about their life and living – they in reality might envy the early workers who had the assurance of their life and living at early dawn. If the “usual daily wage” represents the daily bread of God’s love, wouldn’t we all rejoice with the last-minute worker’s new found hope?
Our vocation as Christians is not to keep the good news, but to share it with all – any place, anytime, to anyone of any age.
As my friend, and fellow priest, Alan Witman put it, “If our faith is not worth sharing, it’s not worth keeping.”
Resources for further study:
| Track 1 | or | Track 2 |
| Exodus 16:2-15 Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16 | Jonah 3:10-4:11 Psalm 145:1-8 Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16 |
Comments
Post a Comment