We were celebrating the great Jonah’s (Nineveh) fast, let’s contemplate in some of the scripture verses under the title of Profound sermons delivered in short statements. “So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land”. (1) Then “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”. “ So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water, let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it"(2).
“Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”. These words were said by Jonah to the people of Nineveh. Jonah is the only prophet to whom Christ has compared himself. As the whole real story of Jonah was a symbol for the crucifixion and resurrection of the Christ. Jonah’s temptation has displayed a symbol for not only a man who could lose his life because of his mind but also God’s embracing for the whole humanity. As we see Jonah at the beginning as a runaway but lastly as an evangelist.
The words “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”, said by Jonah includes an equation set by GOD to Nineveh and to us all. The city would be overthrown after 40 days to destruction, ruin and death through their sins, but through their repentance it would turn into life and heaven which is the same meaning of the word metanoia (prostration) meaning changing the mind direction. Jonah has spent three days and nights in the belly of the fish praying, resulting in the repentance of the whole people of Nineveh. Similarly, as the disciples spent ten 10 days from The Ascension of Christ till the descent of the holy spirit upon the Apostles, whereafter Saint peter said a sermon and those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added the church(3). Thus we should put the act of repentance in front of you through changing the direction of your mind from the earthly lusts to the heavenly matters. Through a spiritual gradual practice by starting the Great Lent with twelve prostrations (metanoias) praying in 6 of them to yourself and the last six praying for others, then add one metanoia each following day of the fast.
Our church has many examples for people whom lives changed through their repentance e.g saint Paul who kept persecuting the church of God but since Christ appeared to him on his way, he replied “Lord, what do You want me to do?”(4) and his whole life was converted to be the great evangelist, servant and martyr apostle.
Also, the life of Zacchaeus was changed once he met Jesus Christ.(5) Moreover, Saint Peter the apostle in spite of his discipleship to Christ, a witness for his miracles and his listening to Christ’s teachings, but he was weak at the crucifixion time. However, Christ treated this weakness with love, saying to him, do you love me?(6). Thus, he was restored to his position and became Peter the Great, a witness and then a martyr.
In addition to Old Testament examples e.g David the prophet who committed a complexity of sins, but offered repentance before Nathan the prophet, so we pray his psalm of repentance every prayer, “Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness.”(7). In addition to many church history examples likewise saint Moses the black, saint Mary the Coptic and Saint Augustine etc.…
Let’s put these examples before us during the great Lent to remind us that when we put our mind and heart in the hands of Christ, He can change them. Sometimes every one of us feels being weak to leave a certain sin, for our limited human strength, however getting in continuous contact with God’s love and grace, he turns this weakness into strength. Surrender yourself in the Christ hands seriously, persistently, say to him, Lord, I am in your hand, I want to change my heart. Make this your continuous request, together with your spiritual struggle and having the grace of the holy sacraments.
Every morning we pray in the prime prayer: “With your light, O Lord, we see the light.” The night ends and we begin a new day in which we ask: “Enlighten our minds, our hearts, and our understandings.” Because everything that is in sin is darkness, and everything in Christ is luminous. These phrases are indicators for the repentance of man. We also ask him: “Grant us on this day that we may please you.” We will please you by keeping the commandment and living unaffected with the earthly lusts. The Apostle Paul tells us: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”(8) All these words refer to the “Metanoia” changing the direction like people of Nineveh.
Thus, our church has arranged the Nineveh fasting before the great forty Lent as three-beat alarm to us to make us prepare. Here I would draw your attention that any act that you practice for forty days it would become a habit in your life. Thus, through the great Lent you can start changing your thinking and direction. The number 40 has a symbolic meaning being the result of 4x10. As number 10 refers to the heavenly life and number 4 refers to the earth directions. Therefore, number 40 implies the meaning of the earthly and heavenly life.
Hence, let’s start preparing with the first step, to meet the father of confession and define with him your spiritual plan for Lent. Repentance needs no delay. So, rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm”(9). Then take the simple prostration training during the Lent, and begin to make a refresh in your spiritual life defining your weaknesses and delayed stuff in your life. But before you present your repentance before the Father of your confession, present it before God in a special prayer, with tears, and with remorse, like the people of Nineveh.
May our Christ grant us to have this work and a change of direction in true heartly repentance.
1. Jonah 2: 10. 2. Jonah 3: 1-10. 3. Acts 2: 41. 4. Acts 9: 6. 5. Luke 19: 1-10. 6. John 21: 15. 7. Psalm 50: 1. 8. Romans 12: 2. 9. Joel 2: 13.
