The Scripture readings of this week-end present to us the theme of calling by God and human reaction to the call. God says to Jonah, “Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it; their wickedness has come up before me” (First Reading). Jonah, like a house cat, does exactly the opposite of what he is asked. He drops everything and runs in the opposite direction. He goes to the town of Joppa, finds a ship to farthest place he can think of which is Tarshish and gets on board, trying get as far from the task as possible. You know the rest of the story of how the ship is caught up in a storm and Jonah is thrown overboard to placate the ‘angry God’ and a fish swallows him and brings him back to the place which he was asked to go in the first place.
Why in the world didn’t Jonah just follow God’s command instead of running the other way? Because he already had his own prejudice in place. Jonah did not want the pagan city, Nineveh, to convert and be saved because this city was an enemy of the people of Israel. The Book of Jonah makes fascinating reading on many counts and especially it is useful to understand the mind of God.
Modern believers are amazed that the people Jesus invites to join him seem to drop everything and follow him immediately (Gospel Reading). It is all the more amazing if this is the first time they have met each other. Cultural background and information shed light on the story. It is highly likely that Jesus and the four followers he summons here are not strangers. Capernaum, a hub of activity on the Sea of Galilee at the crossroads of major highways is about 20 miles away from Nazareth. Joseph and Jesus could have travelled here for work. Even if Jesus had not met these men before personally, they were aware of each other’s aspirations and objectives. News travelled quickly in the ancient world thanks to gossip networks.
Gathering a following is a common occurrence in the Mediterranean world. Technically, a group that gathers for a specific purpose for a limited time is called a “coalition.” The coalition that Jesus gathers is technically called a “faction” because it focuses on a central person who holds and controls the loyalty of the group. Invariably, the faction leader has a grievance and gathers around him others who share the grievance. What might surprise us is the readiness of these people to follow Jesus leaving behind work and family. The fishing business like many others are run by families who would rope in other family members when the ones directly involved travelled away from home.
Jonah runs away from a call, the disciples embrace the call, though they would have their personal agenda why they rallied around this ‘messianic upstart’ from Nazareth. Both these stories speak to us today. Right where we are at this point in our life, we need to bring to our conscious attention the intention of God for us. We think in terms of careers, jobs and family responsibilities. These are all very important. In bringing on the ‘intentionality of God’ gives that depth dimension to life. We always admire people who express depth and purpose in their life beyond just surviving or making a living. Giving a response to God’s call to holiness in our present life is accepting responsibility for the gift of life that God shares with each one of us.
Fr. Tom Kunnel C.O.