it's already 7 days - 1st week lent wednesday 2019

The timing of this gospel is crucial to our interpretation of the text today.  We are now a full week since we started the season of lent, the season of repentance and conversion.  This gospel seems to say, it has been a full week since we started lent, why is there no repentance yet, why is there a slowness to respond to the call of conversion, why are you delaying the response to God’s call?  The sign of Jonah is a sign for us to commit, a reminder for us to not delay, for when Jonah preached a call to repentance in Nineveh it just took him three days to make the people commit, it just took them 3 days to decide to turn once again to God and leave their sins behind.  For us it is already 7 days.

That is why Jesus added, you have somebody greater than Jonah here.  In Hiligaynon Jesus would have said, ako na gid ni – nagpati gani sila kay Jonah lang, anay ako na gid, kamo iya indi, kamo iya nagapang-alang-alang pa?

Again, the same thought with the example of Solomon.  People came from afar to hear Solomon and be challenged by his wisdom.  One of those people who came was the queen of Sheba.  It is said that Sheba is in Ethiopia.  That is very far and yet this queen came, crossing rivers and seas, deserts and mountains just to get to Solomon.  And Jesus added, but you have somebody greater than Solomon here.  In Hiligaynon Jesus would have said, ako na gid ni, ahay pila ka pisos nga plete indi ka pa makakadto.

I think behind this thought is an age-old wisdom telling us that the technique of the devil is to convince us to relax for there is enough time.