Luke 11:29-32

Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1

Psalm 113:1b-2, 3-4, 5a and 6-7

Luke 11:29-32

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,

“This generation is an evil generation;

it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,

except the sign of Jonah.

Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,

so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

At the judgment 

the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation

and she will condemn them,

because she came from the ends of the earth

to hear the wisdom of Solomon,

and there is something greater than Solomon here.

At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation 

and condemn it,

because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,

and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for making me your child and gracing me with true freedom. Teach me to use my freedom properly to grow in love and holiness. Do not let me fall into my old ways of sin, but remember always how good it is to dwell in your house.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Sign of Jonah: In the Gospel, Jesus refers to the story of Jonah and invites us to contemplate the parallels between Jonah’s story and his. Jonah was cast into the sea and swallowed by a great fish. Three days later, he was vomited ashore by the fish and was restored to life by God. The Book of Jonah implies that Jonah did not remain alive for three days and nights in the fish. Jonah died and went to the realm of the dead. His prayer reads: “I called to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried” (Jonah 2:2). “Thus, when the fish vomits Jonah out onto the land, it is vomiting up his corpse.” The first word to Jonah on the shore is “arise.” “This is the same Semitic word that Jesus uses when he raises Jairus’s daughter from the dead. … In other words, the story of Jonah is the story of his death and resurrection” (Pitre, The Case for Jesus, 188). After his death in the sea and restoration to life, Jonah preached in the great city of Ninevah, the capital of the Assyrian empire, which was one of Israel’s fiercest pagan enemies. The Ninevites, Jesus recalls, repented at the preaching of Jonah. And so, the real miracle in the book of Jonah, even more than his restoration to life, is the repentance of the Gentiles (Pitre, The Case for Jesus, 188).

2. The Sign of the Conversion of the Gentiles: We can now contemplate how the story of Jonah is recapitulated and surpassed by the story of Jesus. Jesus was cast into the earth after dying on the cross for us. He was swallowed into the “heart of the earth” for three days. On the third day, he rose from the dead and sent his apostles to preach the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth. Peter and Paul both preached in Rome, the capital of the Roman empire. In due time, the Gentiles of the Roman Empire embraced the Good News, repented from the former ways, and became followers of Christ. “It is not just [Jesus’] resurrection from the dead that will be a reason for believing in him. It is also the inexplicable conversion of the pagan nations of the world – the Gentiles. As Jesus says: the pagans ‘repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here’ (Matthew 12:41; Luke 11:32). In Jonah’s case, only one Gentile city repents, and that only for a time. In Jesus’s case, countless Gentile nations, cities, even empires would go on to repent, cast away their idols, and turn to the God of Israel” (Pitre, The Case for Jesus, 189).

3. Paul’s Allegory about the Old and New Covenants: In his Letter to the Galatians, Paul interprets the story of Hagar and Sarah allegorically. He says that the two women, each giving Abraham a son, represent two different covenants. Hagar, a slave woman, represents the Old Covenant mediated by Moses on Mt. Sinai and practiced in the earthly Jerusalem. Sarah, a freeborn woman, represents the New Covenant mediated by Jesus on Mt. Zion and symbolized by the heavenly Jerusalem. Paul uses the allegory to argue that the Galatians, who have embraced salvation and justification through faith in Jesus in the New Covenant, should not add the burdensome requirements of the Old Covenant to the New and submit themselves to them. The Judaizers, who are promoting this addition of Old Covenant ceremonies, dietary restrictions, and social norms to the New, are trying to turn the Galatians away from the Gospel preached by Paul and inviting them to embrace once again the yoke of slavery. Paul’s Gospel, by contrast, proclaims that we are children of God born into the freedom and blessedness of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you fulfilled the story of Jonah in a truly marvelous way. Jonah was restored to earthly life. You were resurrected, body and soul, to heavenly glory. Jonah’s preaching made one city repent. You have merited forgiveness and have brought repentance to the entire world!

Living the Word of God: How am I using the gift of my freedom as a child of God? Am I choosing the path of goodness, righteousness, and mercy? Or am I abusing my freedom through sinful acts? Am I serving the poor? Am I also practicing the spiritual works of mercy? When I have “free time,” what is my first thought? Is it about myself, about the needs of my spouse, family, and others? Do I lift my heart to God in prayer for a moment? How can I use my freedom in Christ better?