Saturday, April 17, 2004
Christ is Risen!
Saturday of Bright Week
4th of the Paschal Vigil: Jonah 4 Apostle: Acts 3:11-16 Gospel: St. John 3:22-33
Jonah 4:1-11 LXX, especially vs. 3: "And now, Lord God, take my life from me; for it is better
for me to die than to live." In the last chapter of the Book of Jonah, the flawed character of the famous son of Amittai is
exposed. We see a dark bitterness in the heart of God's reluctant Prophet. Jonah fled rather than preach in the Assyrian
city of Nineveh. Yes, even when God forgave him for disobedience, even when God saved him from drowning by sending
a great fish to swallow him and cast him up onto dry land miraculously, and even when God blessed him with great success
in his preaching, still Jonah was peevish and angry.
For us, the Book of Jonah is a warning - to not be like the prophet Jonah. God relented from carrying out His plan to
overthrow Nineveh when He saw that the people of the city "turned from their evil ways" (Jon. 3:10), and the opening line
of today's reading tells us that, in turn, "Jonah was very deeply grieved, and he was confounded" (Jon. 4:1). Strange that a
man so blessed by God should be distressed when his mission was accomplished so very easily.
Let us examine the opening verse of chapter four more carefully. The verbs in the LXX are "lupe" and "synecho." While
the first verb, "lupe," can express grief, it also may well suggest "vexation" and "anger." Similarly "synecho" can mean
either "confusion" or "frustration." The versions based on the Hebrew text favor "angry frustration." Hence, the RSV has,
"...it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry" (vs. 1) - yes, annoyed and petulant, because the result of his
preaching was not to his liking. Hence, as we envision the Prophet climbing the hill and setting up his watch "over against
the city...until he should perceive what would become of the city" (vs. 5), let us remember that he climbed and sat there
grumbling.
Jonah's petulance is most blatantly displayed in his virtual scolding of God: "I made haste to flee to Tarshish; because I
know that Thou art merciful and compassionate, long-suffering, and abundant in kindness, and repentest of evil" (vs. 2).
We may easily complete his railing against the Lord: "So, of course, Thou forgavest them! How couldest Thou forgive the
Ninevites, of all people?" Jonah had neither love nor compassion for the Ninevites - but God did.
Historically, the Prophet was reflecting the common view of the people of Israel who, in the eighth century BC had
repeatedly chafed under the superior and subjugating power of the Assyrian empire. His outburst matches the Psalmist's
cry to God: "Lift up Thy hands against their pride at the end, against the things which the enemy hath wickedly done in Thy
holy place....How long, O God, shall the enemy utter reproach?" (Ps. 73:4,11 LXX).
The vignette of the gourd that shades the Prophet for a moment and then withers when eaten away by a worm reinforces the
portrait of a bitter, unforgiving man (Jon. 4:6-10). Observe him: he flees to Tarshish to avoid any potential for complicity
in God's compassion, mercy, and forgiveness toward the Assyrian whom he finds utterly repugnant. Even when Jonah
himself receives God's compassion and mercy and then obeys and preaches as God instructs him (Jon. 3:1-11), still he
clings to the loathing in his heart. Finally, God makes His message explicit: "shall not I spare Nineveh, the great city, in
which dwell more than twelve myriads of human beings, who do not know their right hand or their left hand; and also
much cattle?" (Jon. 4:11).
Beloved of the Lord, let us be ready always to forgive, even them that hate us. As St. Gregory the Great has said: "We
must not allow any malice at all to remain in our hearts. May almighty God have regard for our love of our neighbor, so
that He may pardon our iniquities!
Remember what He has taught us: 'Forgive, and you will be forgiven.'"
Our Father, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
