It seems
that often our highest concerns in life are those that deal with the state of
our reputations. Questions like, “what do people think of me” or “how cool do I
look,” are among those we frequently ask, showing the preoccupations of our
hearts. It is often easy to catch yourself doing things that you know aren’t
necessarily good, but popular, so we do them hoping to catch the eyes of those around
us. “Other people hear me curse or hear me tell inappropriate jokes, and it
lets people know that I am cool.” “Doing these things lets people know I am a
real person.” It is easy to believe that
it is doing these things that shows the world we are normal. Today’s readings,
however, show us that maybe there is more to life than a popularity contest. In
the book of Jonah we find the King of Nineveh, the most popular guy in all the
land, sitting in a pile of ashes and covered in sackcloth. Most people would
think of this as the opposite of normal, but he doesn’t care. He knows that
this is pleasing to God and will bring happiness to Him who matters most. The
criticism of others is not the king’s concern.
If we flash
forward a good many years in history we find Jesus, and though He is “a greater
sign than the prophet Jonah”, people still do not respond to His call (LK
11:29). People don’t want to turn away from the bad they do and give up being “normal.”
Jesus made a habit of doing things that broke the mold, be it sitting with the
people no one liked, or speaking out against the wrong being committed. Instead,
however, of seeing the evil of their ways, the people ignore Jesus and carry on
doing what ever they want.
Let us remember during this Lent, that Jesus
is also gazing into our own eyes and our own hearts asking us to follow Him.
Are we going to be like the generation who rejected Him, or are we going to rise
up? Are we going to give up doing that which is less important and instead
follow the God who desires us? Jesus
isn’t calling us to a life of slavery and loneliness but an intimate friendship
with God who is happiness Himself (Jn 15:15). The King of Nineveh didn’t
hesitate to wonder what was the cool thing to do, but instead did what God
desired. It took three days to walk through his kingdom—Georgia Southern takes
ten minutes. He had more people watching his every move than we do, and yet he
loved God more than his reputation. And
now all Christians look to him as an example of faithfulness and humility. We
might not be called to put on sackcloth and sit in ashes, but we might be
called to do what appears as lame to others, but is awesome to Christ!
-Patrick Tunnell
