Welcome to Ninevah

Ninevah. A city so immense, so unimaginably huge, that it takes three days to walk from one side to the other. It's a sinful place, a place where the people ignore God, and disobey his will consistently.

It is the middle of the 8th century, B.C., and you are standing at the city gate. You have a mandate from God: Convert the city of Ninevah.

A man named Jonah found himself in this very predicament. Perhaps one of the more famous prophets, Jonah was ordered to turn Ninevah to the Lord. Despite his connection to God, though, Jonah was too afraid and fled the city (cue the whale). Long story short, Jonah learns that he cannot escape God's plan for him, and goes and miraculously turns the entire population of Ninevah into faithful followers of the Lord. What does that mean for us though?

To begin, the first lesson one should take from Jonah's story is that God has a unique plan for each of us. Every person has a task to do, an essential part of God's plan for the world. We can try to avoid it, and flee like Jonah, but we can never be fulfilled unless we are following God's plan.

The second lesson is that God has great mercy for us. Jonah directly went against God's orders, but God still saved him from a monster-whale, forgave him, and helped him convert the city of Ninevah. Like Jonah, we often flee from God, but He is always there to welcome us back and save us from our own sins.

The most important thing to take from Jonah's story is this: We live in Ninevah.

Not literally, of course. But figuratively, it is the same. Society has shunned God, and turned to evil and decadence instead. God is calling us, though. He is calling us to convert the people around us, to save our own personal Ninevahs from the evils of this corrupt world. Our mandate is very much like Jonah's. We all have a responsibility to spread the Good News of Christ, and to offer the world His love through our words and actions.

The last words of Matthew's Gospel sums up our job, saying:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

If God is with us always, we have no need to fear. He will guide us, and help us in our mission to convert the world. Welcome to Ninevah. Let's get started.