Parable 8 - The Shift

It was 2 a.m., and Judy said to her husband, “The police can’t come. You need to go talk to them.”

Bob and Judy weren’t able to sleep because of the loud party going on next door. Their next-door neighbors partied like this a few times a year, and every time Bob and Judy called the police to get them to quiet down. But tonight, there had been an accident, and the police were not able to come.

Bob went downstairs, dreading going outside to talk to a bunch of drunk people listening to music he didn’t recognize as music. Rather than going outside, he opened the freezer, took out a pint of raspberry-chocolate-chip ice cream, and scooped himself a bowl. As he ate it, he noticed the windows were actually shaking from the bass of the music.

Judy came downstairs. “What are you doing eating ice cream? Get out there and talk to them.”

Bob took a final bite, put his coat on over his pajamas, and left the safety of his house.

As he stepped onto the neighbor’s property, a group of the partiers saw him and asked if he wanted a beer.

“What I really want is to get some sleep. The music is way too loud, and I can hear your conversation through our bedroom walls.”

A moment later, the music was stopped. The entire group was apologetic. Shauna, the owner of the house, told Bob that she was really sorry and that she appreciated Bob not calling the police.

The visit ended with a handshake.

Fifteen minutes later, Judy and Bob were fast asleep.

Meditation

The story of Jonah is interesting because Jonah famously runs away from God’s mission and ends up in the belly of the whale. But this reluctant prophet is running because he doesn’t think the Ninevites are worthy of being saved. In fact, before the story is over, Jonah complains that he didn’t want to warn the Ninevites because he knew God was slow to anger, rich in kindness, and gracious and merciful. God was much more forgiving than Jonah.

We do well to ask ourselves, “Am I judging others? Am I like Bob and Judy, who would rather call the police than try to talk to my own neighbor?”

There is a strange shift that often happens in our lives. We see people doing things that we know are wrong, just like the people of Nineveh were caught in their wicked ways, just like Bob and Judy’s obnoxious neighbors. And we may label these people as sinners. Then we want nothing to do with them. We wish God would just destroy them. We judge them to be evil, or to be “garbage,” or disgustingly ignorant. When we think like this, we are shifting ourselves away from God.

A useful definition of sin is this: that which separates us from God.

When we examine the behavior of the prophet Jonah, we see that he keeps trying to separate himself from God. The story shifts from the Ninevites being the sinners to Jonah being the sinner. The Lord wants to save the people of Nineveh. Jonah apparently would prefer that the Ninevites be destroyed. The people of Nineveh repent; they turn their lives around. It seems like a happy ending, but the story actually ends with Jonah wishing he were dead. Jonah would rather die than open himself to God’s mercy for the Ninevites.

This Lent, in your pursuit to be good, have you found others who are clearly bad? Are you hoping for their destruction? As hard as it may be to believe, the story of Jonah shows us that the wicked can repent and be saved.

It is important to address bad behavior, but don’t lose your own life condemning others. Stay connected to God’s merciful message.

Water the seed and ask yourself...

What repentance am I called to do?