The Third Sunday after the Epiphany: Hope extended...again...

Jonah 3:1-5, 10; Psalm 62:5-12; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20

The book of Jonah, it can be said, is a midrash (=Scriptural storytelling) on the vision Jeremiah has of the house of the potter in Jeremiah 18. Especially significant is the line, "God changed his mind about the calamity that he has said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it (v 10). See Jer 18:7-8 for the specific language, in a promise form, that is given in Jonah 3 in a narrative form. And specifically for Jonah, while this should be a cause of rejoicing, since his evangelistic crusade in the evil city of Nineveh had such tremendous success, it was only a reason for more bitter complaint against God. This is exactly the opposite of what we should expect to hear from this preacher, but then again the entire book of Jonah is exactly the opposite of what we would expect to hear from the Bible.

The initial resistance and, in Jonah's case, flight, is not out of the ordinary. Most of the prophets are shown as initially resisting the divine call in some fashion (see Exod 3, Isa 6, Jer 1). But whereas Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah eventually "enjoyed" their careers and the "success" their preaching had, Jonah is presented as a sulker and a complainer. Jonah represents the typical attitude of Israelites in the post-exilic period who thought that the worship of Yahweh should be confined to those who could establish their proper ethnic identity. The whole story of Jonah and the conversion of Nineveh was a bomb dropped on that exclusive claim. But Jonah is still left sulking, thinking, sweltering under the hot sun--and perhaps that is as good a metaphor as any for the reaction that this little midrash might have gotten.

The common theme running through the lectionary passages for this week is putting trust in God especially in view of how short the time is. Both Testaments deal with the expectation of a quick end to the world and its frustration. As with mamny other groups throughout history, Jews and Christians very quickly developed strategies for reinterpreting the hope of an imminent end of the world into a longer expectation, and a resultant ethic for the time in-between. This shows the brilliance of both groups in that they did not abandon their hopes when they were frustrated; instaed, they recommitted themselves to God and God's promises in the sure and certain hope that these things would come about just as they had been foretold.

At the beginning of a new year, we are always confronted with a choice: will we participate in this creative reworking of hope, or will we abandon it this time since it continues to lie unfulfilled? It seems like the question must be decided in favor of the former, since the nature of hope is that it, well, hopes...and hope does not disappoint, for God in his love has poured the Holy Spirit into our hearts (Rom 5:4). Hope does not disappoint, even when hope itself is disappointed. Will 2009 be the year our hopes are finally realized? Perhaps, depending on the hope: new love, new job, new house, whatever. How about this: will 2009 be the year our Hope is finally realized? Perhaps not, but we still live in the expectancy, for hope--and Hope--will finally not be snuffed out. Amen.