Mar
04
2020
By Anonymous (not verified)
"At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it ... ." - Lk 11:32
When Jonah delivered God's message to the Ninevites, he got a surprise. Th is rich country actually repented. Even their king "rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes."
Jonah, you may know, wasn't so happy about this response. The Ninevites were warriors. Enemies of Israel. Gentiles. He knew God was merciful and would grant them mercy if they were contrite and humble.
God is merciful and wants to extend salvation to people of every nation. The people of Israel, though, had a hard time seeing this extension of God's merciful love to those who were not among God's Chosen People.
The Jewish crowd following Jesus in today's Gospel reading gets compared to this old biblical enemy - and not favorably. The crowd is asking Jesus for a sign. He reminds them that the Ninevites responded when they heard God's message through Jonah - even though he performed no sign.
The Jews were the Chosen People. Indeed, they were special. Too bad they weren't accepting the word of One "greater than Jonah" (Lk 11:32).
Prayer: Merciful Lord, may I always rejoice when others turn with trust to Your mercy.
See all meditations to date
When Jonah delivered God's message to the Ninevites, he got a surprise. Th is rich country actually repented. Even their king "rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes."
Jonah, you may know, wasn't so happy about this response. The Ninevites were warriors. Enemies of Israel. Gentiles. He knew God was merciful and would grant them mercy if they were contrite and humble.
God is merciful and wants to extend salvation to people of every nation. The people of Israel, though, had a hard time seeing this extension of God's merciful love to those who were not among God's Chosen People.
The Jewish crowd following Jesus in today's Gospel reading gets compared to this old biblical enemy - and not favorably. The crowd is asking Jesus for a sign. He reminds them that the Ninevites responded when they heard God's message through Jonah - even though he performed no sign.
The Jews were the Chosen People. Indeed, they were special. Too bad they weren't accepting the word of One "greater than Jonah" (Lk 11:32).
Prayer: Merciful Lord, may I always rejoice when others turn with trust to Your mercy.
See all meditations to date
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