Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B 21st January 2024
Lectionary Readings:
Jonah 3 v1-5, 10. Jonah goes to Nineveh.
Psalm 62 v5-12. God is powerful and kind.
1 Corinthians 7 v29-31. The Lord will soon come.
Mark 1 v14-20. Jesus begins his work.
Are you heading in the right direction?
Some people are told explicitly by God, where to go and what to do.
Jonah is understandably reluctant to go to the capital city of Israel’s enemy Assyria, to relay God’s message of impending doom. But he did go, at the second time of asking. The people of Nineveh hear God’s message and much to Jonah’s surprise, they repent of their evil ways and show genuine sorrow and remorse. God responds by displaying compassion, by forgiving their sins and not destroying the city as he had planned to do, much to Jonah’s annoyance!
Jesus says that we should turn back to God (a necessary part of repentance), and believe the good news about God’s kingdom.
Jesus doesn’t tell his disciples which way to go, he says, “follow me”. Jesus is not offering to hold the hand of every disciple, nor is he suggesting that God will control us like robots. Jesus points to a better way; a way of living in a right relationship with God.
Jesus invites us to follow, as he leads us towards God’s kingdom. This kingdom is not a ‘somewhere else’ type country, but a ‘place’ where God rules.
This ‘place’ includes:
- The hearts and minds of those who believe that ‘Jesus is Lord’ (Romans 10 v 9,10).
- Communities where God’s love is shown to others (Matthew 25 v31-46); by people who practice justice and mercy (Matthew 5).
- A place where people recognise their need for God’s gift of forgiveness(1 John 1 v 8,9),
and where forgiven people freely forgive others. (Matthew 6 v14).
We are invited to journey with Jesus towards the heart of God, (John 14), a place of safety says the Psalmist, where we can experience (God given) inner peace.
Jesus says that the kingdom will soon be here, (Mark 1 v15). Mark and the other New Testament writers explain how Jesus ushers in the kingdom of God and (the good news of) how through Christ’s death and resurrection; sin, death, evil and Satan are destroyed and we are reconciled with God.
Paul tells us that the world as we know it is passing away. John tells us that this world will be replaced by God’s everlasting kingdom. A renewed and reconciled heaven and earth (Rev 21).
By way of an answer to our initial question, all the lectionary readings this week suggest that the ‘right’ direction is towards God.
The question remains, are you headed in the ‘right’ direction? Towards the one who truly loves you.
Bible quotations are taken from the Contemporary English version.