The prophet Jonah famously misunderstood his prophetic mission; he understood God’s pathos against social unjust and its implications for the people of Nineveh, which led him to point out the doom they faced as a result of their injustices. However, he thought that there was nothing they could do to avert their fate, that they were soon going to be destroyed (like Sodom and Gomorrah). He was right about what would happen if they did not change their ways, but he was wrong in thinking they couldn’t, causing him to become upset when he learned they escaped the judgment he thought they deserved. Many Christians have a similar attitude towards the fate of others, of those who they believe must be suffering eternal perdition, and that there was nothing they could have done to avert their damnation. This is not something they can know. They should have learned the lesson of Jonah against holding to such a presumption. They certainly can warn of the potential consequences of their actions if they did not change their ways, realizing that those sins which are graver (such as those which lead to the oppression of innocents) have far greater consequences than other sins; however, when they make such a warning, they should do it out of charity, with the hope for reform, and not with the intention to judge them so as to excuse to treat poorly those they assume to be among the damned.
God wants people to change, to be converted, and so to be saved, not, of course, through “cheap grace,” where they need to do nothing to be saved, but through a real change of heart, one which will often require them to do what they can to rectify their wrongs (such as the people of Nineveh did with acts of penance). What we must learn from the story of Jonah is that God can and will forgive and save those who willingly reform themselves, and that the more people change for the better, the more they will sow grace, grace which will give to them a great deal more than they have sowed:
The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work (2 Cor. 9:6-8 RSV).
It is important, therefore, that people truly take to heart the wrongs they have done, to see the harm they have caused, because when they do so, they will want to do what they can to fix the situation, and do so, not out of a mere sense of obligation, but out of love. However, if they prove unwilling to repent, unwilling to do what they should do freely, they can rightfully find themselves forced to do so (as justice puts its demands upon them). It is far greater to sow willingly, out of the goodness of one’s heart, that is, to act out of charity, than it is to do so through the demands of justice, but it is better for justice to be served than it is to let grave injustices remain.
When we look to the story of Jonah, we see the people of Nineveh willingly did penance, and it was this willingness which led to their salvation, but if they had not been willing to change, then what Jonah thought was going to happen would have happened, and justice would have taken its toll out of them. We should realize the same is true for us. The more we engage justice out of love, the humbler we will be, and as a result, God will lift us up and reward us, which is what happened with Peter:
While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him (Lk. 5:1-11 RSV).
Peter recognized his sinful nature, and in doing so, humbled himself before Jesus. He did so out of love more than fear, which is why he was able to follow Jesus and find himself greatly rewarded. His love had him abandon all that he had in order to draw close to Jesus, to God incarnate, and because it was done out of love, he sowed great riches, not only for himself, but also for those he loved and wanted to help (such as his mother-in-law who, when she got sick, was healed by Jesus). We will find the same is true for us if we let ourselves be drawn to Christ in love. We will detach ourselves from those things which would get in our way of following Christ. Each thing we give up in this fashion, each sacrifice as it were, can be seen as becoming a spiritual seed, a seed which is then watered by God’s grace. When that seed comes to fruition, we will find what it gives us in return is far greater than what we gave up to follow Jesus.
God is always greater, more remarkable than we could ever imagine. When we try to confine God to our judgment and understanding, we will find God will subvert our expectations. When that happens, we can either accept what God does, looking God with amazement and awe, or we can become like Jonah, only to find our complaint is baseless. If and when we are like Jonah, God will show us the compassion and understanding which we need, and so will grant us the chance to likewise repent and receive the grace we need; we can be assured this is what happened with Jonah, for, despite his presumption, he is remembered as a servant and lover of God.
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