The story of Jonah finds its way into the Revised Common
Lectionary only on this day and on the Third Sunday after Epiphany (Year B). It
is too good a story to hear so seldom, and today, preachers, is your chance!
Jonah’s resentment of Nineveh’s repentance, coupled with the
aggravation of those in the Matthew story who are angry about the pay they’ve
been given, offer plenty of latitude for the preacher to consider vocation,
calling, work, envy, and God’s never-failing love for those who come last and
those who “do not know their right hand from their left, and also many
animals…” (probably one of my favorite phrases in all scripture).
Those animals! We forget them easily. But God does not forget
them. Today could be a time to talk about creatures other than humans! If that
is your choice, consider not a law-oriented diatribe on what we all ought to be
doing to save the planet (important as is that concern), but tell us, rather,
how much this entire creation is beloved by its creator and how grieved God is
to groan with its plants, elements, and animals when they struggle for life.
Help us to care and to turn toward nourishing all our neighbors.
Matthew 20:1-16
Might we see in the readings for this day a pattern
for living that extends love to all “others”––not just our families and friends
or even human neighbors, but to all.
In the middle of these stories of being first or
last, the parable of the workers in the vineyard stands adjacent to Jesus'
third passion prediction. The whole sequence of stories seeks to undermine
ordinary human aspirations of being first. Because God in Christ has given
believers everything that matters, striving to be first in status or wealth
profoundly misses the point of living. The only “first” that matters is to be
first in serving, which finally means taking one's eyes off of self so as to
tend to the needs of another.
– Aaron
J. Couch
Jonah 3:10––4:11
The book of Jonah tells a tale of
divine generosity and human stinginess. That God would extend mercy to a nation
renowned for its cruelty and brutality strikes the prophet as scandalous,
causing him to feel betrayed and angry. Telling God “I told you so,” Jonah
appears much more like a cartoon character than a real person. God prepares a
living parable for Jonah: a bush that grows to provide shade, then withers and
dies after being attacked by a worm. Absurdly, Jonah feels such great loss at
the death of the plant that he wishes himself dead. God invites Jonah to
imagine how God might feel about the living creatures of Nineveh, both people
and animals. Those living creatures have been, in a sense, invisible to Jonah.
Dismissing the people of Nineveh as the enemy, he had not seen them as
possessing any value. The story ends without revealing whether Jonah was
surprised to discover God was concerned for the fate of the city, and its
people, and even its animals. By remaining open-ended, the story invites the
listener to consider whether there are people he or she may have dismissed as
strangers or enemies, who may yet be precious to their Creator.
– Aaron
J. Couch is co-pastor of First Immanuel Lutheran Church, Portland, Oregon.
Philippians 1:21-30
Paul’s admonitions echo these same themes of last being first:
“Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ…” The vision Paul
calls us to follow is one in which Christ Jesus is foremost, and that is the
vision this day needs explicated.
What does extravagant over-abundance look like in our lives?
We see it on the cross and in the empty tomb. Where do we see it in our own
communities, families, friendships, state, and nation?
Some questions to ponder:
In what ways do we currently live our lives in a
manner worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? What does this life look like?
How is Christ exalted by our living?
What tools do we have for living in the present—in
the world but not of the world?
– Beth
Herrinton-Hodge, Presbyterian minister
Homily Service 41,
no. 4 (21 July 2008): 26-36.
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