crofftdesigns

Epiphany 3B (January 22, 2012)
Jonah 3: 1-5, 10 and Mark 1:14-20

     Jonah entered the city, went one day's walk and preached, "In forty days Nineveh
     will be smashed." The people of Nineveh listened, and trusted God......He did change
     his mind about them. What he said he would do to them he didn't do. Jonah 3:4-5a, 10bc
     The Message.

     After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee preaching the Message of God: "Time's up!
     God's kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message.".... A dozen yards or so
     down the beach, he saw the brothers James and John, Zebedee's sons. They were in the
     boat, mending their fishnets. Right off, he made the same offer. Immediately, they left their
     father Zebedee, the boat, and the hired hands, and followed. Mark 1:14-15, 19-20
     The Message.

Who doesn't love a good fishing story? And here we have two of the best known in all of history! There are so many ways these passages impact people right where they live, inside their skins. I'm sure someone else has noticed this long ago, but I've not heard it preached nor seen it discussed so far: God issues an urgent call and when people respond, it's like being overtaken by a flood. Afterward there's a lot of debris lying around. Or one lone man.

Case in point: one MAJORLY ticked off reluctant prophet who didn't want any part of going anywhere NEAR the enemy's capital to call for repentance. Yet he did that job for God too well ... because when they heard God's word of judgment they actually repented and God did the unthinkable: showed mercy and decided against the planned course of destruction. Result: an even more ticked off prophet, bitter and angry at God's mercy extended to the enemy.

Case 2: I wonder about Zebedee... his sons are working with him and there's enough work to have hired hands as well... then Jesus comes along with his call and now what? Will they expect their share of the income even though they aren't working for it? He'll need a good portion at least to pay for extra help for sure. And there's the pain at sons not following in their father's footsteps. Result: a good dad feels abandoned by his nearest and dearest ... (and by God, too?)

The question I hear from this odd juncture of two fish stories: How much does God expect us to rejoice in another person's generous gift or exciting call?