Behold the man ...

We have become creators of history, creators of a developed world, creators of a new humanity. We have engineered ourselves, and the animals and plants to our benefit. We have created our future.

A sign from Ninevites is that they were ready to open themselves to look at the creator. People of Nineveh were ready to change their hearts. The king “rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in ashes.” He ordered a fast, “Men and beasts, herds and flocks, are to taste nothing; they must not eat, they must not drink water. All are to put on sackcloth and call on God with all their might….” It seems that he was convinced that we can look to God only when we put ourselves in equal footing with all of creation. This is possible in seeing the hunger and thirst in humans and other-than-humans alike.

Solomon prayed for ruling his kingdom in right judgement. According to the book of kings (1 King 4:33), he knew everything about trees, animals and small creatures. Considering the wisdom of his age, he may have known astrology, magic, language of animals and birds, and medicine. Stories about Solomon testifies to that.

Jonah, coming out of the belly of the whale preached condemnation on Nineveh. Jonah means ‘dove,’ and Israel is the beloved dove of Yahweh (Ps 74:19; Songs 2: 14). Jeremiah (51:34) speaks of Babylon as a great monster that has opened its mouth towards Israel. The prayer of Jonah (ch 2) shows the mourning and the hope of Israel in exile.

Solomon who knew everything did not know the dust from which everything emerged. For him men and animals became objects of exploitation. Animals were captured for sacrifices for many gods. People were merely a labour force. Jonah forgot the providence and care he experienced inside the belly of the whale (Israel during exile). He could not proclaim the message of mercy.

Gospels say: here is someone greater than Solomon, greater than Jonah. Jesus said: I feel compassionate towards them, they may faint on the way.

Let us Jonah once again. He is angry that God changed his plan of punishing Nineveh. He made a tent, and sat inside waiting to see Nineveh burning under the wrath of God. A worm destroys the creeper that gave some cool shade for Jonah. The worm is a sign of elements disturbing the comforts and security in waiting to see God’s vengeance over ‘others.’ Jonah in fact is a story that aims to correct the heartless cleansing movement that broke out after return from exile. Thus Jonah becomes significant for the pharisees who labelled the tax collectors, Samaritans, ‘sinners’ … as unclean. Jesus was able to see them as the children of God.

Let us meditate. “… he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, wiping them with the towel that was wrapped around him” (Jn 13: 4,5). …. Behold the man (Jn 19: 5).

Lent is that, to be one with all the creatures of the earth, knowing in gratitude the providing dynamics towards the hunger, thirst, breath…, and be alarmed about the situation if these dynamics disappears with ‘our creation’ of the world, see once again the kindness of the creator in nature.