Jonah 3:1-5, 10 / 1 Cor 7:29-31 / Mark 1:14-20
When we were in primary school there was a science question that we would love to answer because we know the answer.
Also it’s because the answer is so “obvious” and we just can’t miss it.
And so what is that question? Here it is – What is the biggest animal in the world?
The Blue Whale. The blue whale is a marine mammal. It measures around 30 metres (98 ft) in length and 180 metric tons (200 short tons) or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed.
Oh yes, such a big marine mammal would certainly capture our imagination and fantasy, maybe because most of us have not seen a real blue whale before.
(By the way, there was a skeleton of a blue whale found in Port Dickson in 1893 and it was displayed in the National Museum until 1969.)
The whale (blue or otherwise) is such a big animal that it even found its way into the Bible.
We will surely remember that story of the big fish that swallowed Jonah and he was in the belly of that fish for three days before it spit him out on the shore.
That big fish is believed to be a whale although quite a bit is left to the imagination.
One day, a teacher was talking to her primary 1 class about whales when a little girl had a question.
Little Girl: “Do whales swallow people?” Teacher: “No, even though they are much bigger than a person, they have throat pleats that filter their food of krill and plankton.
Little Girl: “But my mummy says that Jonah was swallowed by a whale.” Teacher getting agitated: “Blue whales cannot swallow people.”
Little Girl: “Well, when I get to heaven I’ll just ask Jonah if he was really swallowed by a whale.” Teacher, getting a bit flustered, said: “What if Jonah went to hell?”
Little Girl: “Then you go and ask him.” : P
Whether Jonah was really swallowed by a whale or not, in the 1st reading, we heard that the word of the Lord was addressed a second time to Jonah and he was told to go to Nineveh to preach.
That was the second time. So what happened at the first time?
At first when Jonah was told to go, he said no. God told him to go east, Jonah went west. God told him to deliver a message of fire, but he headed for the water. And that was where he got swallowed by that big fish.
Obviously for Jonah, to answer God’s call was not an easy thing and it took three days in the belly of that big fish for him to come to his senses.
It was only after then that he realized that it was time to do what God had told him to do.
It was such a contrast in the gospel passage as we hear how Jesus called His disciples. He called them to follow Him and they left everything and followed Him.
It sounded so easy for the disciples to answer the call of Jesus.
But we must remember what Jesus said before that – The time has come and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe in the Good News.
Yes, the time had come for Simon and Andrew, and James and John, to realize that Jesus was calling them to something better and something higher.
They were fishermen and so their profession was to catch fish. So the more they catch the better.
But it is said that the things you own will end up owning you.
They were catching fish for a living but if the meaning of life is just to catch fish, then their lives might just end up being swallowed by a big fish, just as Jonah was swallowed by a big fish.
Yes the time has come for Simon and Andrew, and James and John to answer the call of Jesus.
The time has come for us too, to know that Jesus is calling us to believe in the Good News.
We only need to give God our time to serve Him, but more often than not we say we have no time.
Then maybe we need to listen to this poem “No Time” -
I knelt to pray but not for long, I had too much to do.
I had to hurry and get to work, for bills would soon be due.
So I knelt and said a hurried prayer, and jumped up off my knees.
My Christian duty was now done, my soul could rest at ease.
All day long I had no time, to spread a word of cheer
No time to speak of Christ to friends, they'd laugh at me I'd fear.
No time, no time, too much to do, that was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need, but at last came the time, the time to die.
I went before the Lord, I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in His hands God held a book; It was the book of life.
God looked into His book and said "Your name I cannot find, I once was going to write it down...But never found the time"
Of course the ending is just to wake us up. God surely will have time for us. In fact He has given us all the time in the world.
But as the 2nd reading says – our time is growing short.
If our time is not offered back to God and to do what God is calling us to do, then time will swallow us and we will always end up with no time.
The time indeed has come for us to believe that when we do what God wants of us, and that primarily will be to serve Him in our brothers and sisters, then it will always be a time of Good News.