3 But Yonah, in order to get away from Adonai, prepared to escape to Tarshish. He went down to Yafo, found a ship headed for Tarshish, paid the fare and went aboard, intending to travel with them to Tarshish and get away from Adonai. 4 However, Adonai let loose over the sea a violent wind, which created such stormy conditions that the ship threatened to break to pieces. 5 The sailors were frightened, and each cried out to his god. They threw the cargo overboard to make the ship easier for them to control.
Meanwhile, Yonah had gone down below into the hold, where he lay, fast asleep. 6 The ship’s captain found him and said to him, “What do you mean by sleeping? Get up! Call on your god! Maybe the god will remember us, and we won’t die.”
7 Then they said to each other, “Come, let’s draw lots to find out who is to blame for this calamity.” They drew lots, and Yonah was singled out. 8 They said to him, “Tell us now, why has this calamity come upon us? What work do you do? Where are you from? What is your country? Which is your people?” 9 He answered them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear Adonai, the God of heaven, who made both the sea and the dry land.” 10 At this the men grew very afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done?” For the men knew he was trying to get away from Adonai, since he had told them. 11 They asked him, “What should we do to you, so that the sea will be calm for us?” — for the sea was getting rougher all the time. 12 “Pick me up,” he told them, “and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you; because I know it’s my fault that this terrible storm has come over you.”
13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard, trying to reach the shore. But they couldn’t, because the sea kept growing wilder against them. 14 Finally they cried to Adonai, “Please, Adonai, please! Don’t let us perish for causing the death of this man, and don’t hold us to account for shedding innocent blood; because you, Adonai, have done what you saw fit.” 15 Then they picked up Yonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging. 16 Seized with great fear of Adonai, they offered a sacrifice to Adonai and made vows.
2 (1:17) Adonai prepared a huge fish to swallow Yonah; and Yonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. 2 (1) From the belly of the fish Yonah prayed to Adonai his God;
2:11 (10) Then Adonai spoke to the fish, and it vomited Yonah out onto dry land.
27th Week in Ordinary TimeThe men offered sacrifice and made vows to him. (Jonah 1:16)
What do the stories of Jonah and the Good Samaritan have in common? Well, for one thing, they both reveal in dramatic fashion that sometimes, the unlikeliest people are capable of the deepest faith and obedience.
Think about the mariners who shared the boat with Jonah. These men were sea-hardy worshippers of foreign gods. When Jonah admitted that he worshipped the God of Israel who had created all things, they were “seized with great fear,” immediately believing that this God existed (Jonah 1:10). In a turn of events, they were reluctant to throw him overboard, while Jonah had been unwilling to spare the city of Nineveh. And after Jonah’s ejection, these salty pagans vowed allegiance to the Lord!
Think of those Ninevites. At the height of their civic power and vice, they repented, humbling themselves in sackcloth and ashes because of the warnings of one foreign-born prophet who smelled of fish.
Think about the Good Samaritan, too. Would anyone have expected him to be moved by compassion at the sight of his enemy bleeding in the dust? He was the least likely to help, yet he responded extravagantly while the priest and Levite turned away.
Think about the people in your life. There are probably some that you think must be really far from God—maybe because of how they dress, speak, or behave. Judging by today’s readings, perhaps they’re closer than you think!
Often, we can see clear reflections of the Lord in these unlikely heroes, in areas where we might need some work. If we take a deeper look, we might notice that he teaches us something new about loving and accepting people where they are at, instead of where we want them to be. She boldly and unashamedly stands up for her values in the workplace. His family has dealt with great challenges, yet they remain intensely loyal to one another. It’s not to say that these folks have it all together. After all, no one does. We all need to experience deeper conversion— including the Ninevites and mariners in our lives. But that’s the point. We can learn from each other. And God will continue to reveal himself in the most surprising places!
“Lord, come and surprise me today.” Amen!
Jonah 2:3 (2) he said,
“Out of my distress I called to Adonai,
and he answered me;
from the belly of Sh’ol I cried,
and you heard my voice.
4 (3) For you threw me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas;
and the flood enveloped me;
all your surging waves passed over me.
5 (4) I thought, ‘I have been banished from your sight.’
But I will again look at your holy temple.
8 (7) As my life was ebbing away,
I remembered Adonai;
and my prayer came in to you,
into your holy temple.
Luke 10:25 An expert in Torah stood up to try and trap him by asking, “Rabbi, what should I do to obtain eternal life?” 26 But Yeshua said to him, “What is written in the Torah? How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your understanding; and your neighbor as yourself.”[Luke 10:27 Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18] 28 “That’s the right answer,” Yeshua said. “Do this, and you will have life.”
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Yeshua, “And who is my ‘neighbor’?” 30 Taking up the question, Yeshua said: “A man was going down from Yerushalayim to Yericho when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him naked and beat him up, then went off, leaving him half dead. 31 By coincidence, a cohen was going down on that road; but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levi who reached the place and saw him also passed by on the other side.
33 “But a man from Shomron who was traveling came upon him; and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. 34 So he went up to him, put oil and wine on his wounds and bandaged them. Then he set him on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day, he took out two days’ wages, gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Look after him; and if you spend more than this, I’ll pay you back when I return.’ 36 Of these three, which one seems to you to have become the ‘neighbor’ of the man who fell among robbers?” 37 He answered, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Yeshua said to him, “You go and do as he did.”
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