Reflection - Beds

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/100719.cfm
Jonah 1:1-2, 2:1-2, 11
Luke 10:25-37

Although the whale always gets prominent coverage when the story of Jonah is recounted, we all know that he isn’t the principle character any more than Monstro is in the story of Pinocchio. In fact, the full story of Jonah has become a standard when someone wants to review the subject of repentance or tell of the consequences when a person fails to do what God has instructed.

Jonah was directed to tell the people of Nineveh of their impending doom because of their sinful lives. Since Jonah didn’t like the Ninevites, he was almost eager for the citizens of that city to suffer God’s punishment rather than risk their repentance as a result of his preaching. So  ....  Jonah decides to flee. That’s where the great fish/whale comes in as we hear in the reading.

Now it might appear that Jonah is a biblical scholar. His attitude does seem to reflect the teaching in the Book of Proverbs. “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices.” (Proverbs 1:29-31) or maybe he was just anticipating Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Corinthians 9:6) Or, as our contemporary version would put it: You reap what you sow. Then again, it would appear that our friend Jonah was, in all honesty, a strong believer in the human exercise of justice; and that he would personally have chosen to proclaim to the Ninevites: “Hey! You made your bed! Now sleep in it!” We see this especially at the end of his story when he is morose because his preaching did bring about repentance and the Lord was subsequently generous in forgiving these sinful people.

It may not be obvious, but Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan is a logical follow-up to the account of Jonah. Like Jonah, the Priest and the Levite preferred to just walk on by — but this time it’s not a whole city, but an injured man. You can almost hear their thoughts as they cross to the other side of the road.

“How did he get himself in such a situation?”

“If he was so weak (disabled, incapacitated, mentally challenged, poor in judgment, etc.) then he shouldn’t have started the journey.”

“What might happen if I get involved?”

“He’s probably drunk.”

“Well, I’m sure he made this bed. Let him lie in it.”

Mankind’s exercise of justice is often capricious, but not in ways unexpected. The human race is usually willing to judge others. Tit for tat. An eye for an eye. Let the punishment fit the crime.

When the Samaritan happened along, his thoughts, apparently, were not hobbled by thoughts of judgment or justice. By the end of the story even the Scholar of the Law readily admitted that what the Samaritan had done was to show mercy. Mercy is more than just nebulous good feelings or empathetic feelings toward someone. The word "mercy" is our pitiful translation of a Hebrew word luxuriating in meaning. You know how the wine afficionados talk about wine? Wonderfully rich and rounded. Enticing floral aromas. Maximum flavor complexity with hints of cherry, plum, and chocolate. 

"Mercy" in Hebrew demands a depth of understanding very much like that wine. It is a word wonderfully rich with love and kindness, intense in it's demand for judgment yet mellowed with the wisdom of the ages. It speaks of an intense desire for union with an absolute respect for free will. There is no English word that is it's equal. Paul uses the term when speaking of Christ. “He saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy.” (Titus 3:5) And Jesus will deny that his purpose was to judge but rather to show mercy by bringing salvation. “If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.” (John 12:47)

The last thing in the world we want to hear when the Kingdom comes on that last day is, "You’ll get what you deserve," or alternatively, "You made your bed, now lie in it." In order to escape those words we need to be particularly conscious of some others. "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)

We have the pitiful example of Jonah, a Priest and a Levite, each of whom were witnesses of man’s narrowness and judgement. We have the example of the Samaritan who simply showed mercy. And we have the teaching of Jesus: “Be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful.” It shouldn’t be too hard to avoid that observation about beds.