Last Sunday we were invited by Jesus in the Gospel of John to “Come and See” and this week when we resume in the Gospel of Mark and hear the first words of Jesus in this Gospel, we are invited to “repent and believe the Good News” and to join with Jesus as he walks along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, inviting two sets of two brothers to “Follow me.” All four of the men immediately leave their possessions, their trade and their families to follow Jesus.
The first reading from the Book of Jonah provides a counter example of this immediate response. Although Jonah is included in the collection of the 12 Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures, the book is not a collection of his sayings (thankfully) but rather a satirical story of his call and ongoing failure to fully respond to the call and word of the Lord. This short book with only 4 chapters and 48 verses provides comical relief to us in those times when we struggle to respond to the Lord and his call to be faithful to his word, and invites us to reflect more deeply on our own response to pagan enemies and their conversion to God.