The Meaning of True Holiness

A passage from the Book of Jonah is the Hebrew Bible lesson in this week's lectionary.  This is one of the books of prophecy in the Hebrew Bible that tells the story of God calling Jonah to prophesy to Nineveh.  Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire, located on the bank of the Tigris River.  The Assyrian Empire was greatly feared by the nations that it conquered.  Unlike other empires that sought to maintain good will with its subject peoples, the Assyrians didn't hesitate to burn any bridges.  The Assyrians epitomized evil in the eyes of Israel.

It is very surprising, given who the Assyrians were, that they immediately repent.  The Assyrians because the very unlikely heroes of the Book of Jonah.  Jonah, similarly, becomes the unlikely villain.  Rather than given thanks that the Assyrians have repented, Jonah is angry when God chooses not to punish the Assyrians.  Earlier in the book, Jonah also rejects God's call, and only responds to God's call with great reluctance.

The Book of Jonah is traditionally recited on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.  It is the day when Israel collectively seeks atonement and forgiveness.  In reciting the story of Jonah, Israel sees itself through the perspective of Jonah rather than Assyria.  True repentance begins with acknowledging our need for repentance.  Jonah is portrayed in the story as an unholy mess who is mysteriously called by God to a great and monumental task.  The same was true of Israel.  Israel was an unholy mess, just like the rest of the world.  Israel was a chosen people not because of its righteousness, but because God had mysteriously chosen to enter into covenant relationship with Israel.

Like Jonah, we are an unholy mess.  God has chosen to enter into relationship with us not because we became righteous enough, but because we are an unholy mess.  The Christian Church in American often displays an arrogance and a self congratulatory attitude towards itself, and a judgmental attitude towards the rest of the world.  We need to perpetually repent and turn to God for forgiveness.  In order to do so, we must be cognizant of ourselves as an unholy mess.  Ironically, when we acknowledge our unholiness, we can most effectively seek to be holy.