Like Jesus in the New Testament, Moses led the people out of slavery, an act that Jesus would perfect with His Passion and death, not just for Israel alone but for all people of all generations. Again, Moses established the reign of God among the people of Israel by giving them laws which he got from God. In the New Testament, Jesus would establish and provide for the sustenance of the Kingdom of God through the law of love. “I give you a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn 13:34)

The Readings for the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B emphasize the urgency for propagation of the Good News and the need to repent and return to the right relationship with God who is merciful. Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian empire which destroyed Northern Israel, killed many of its inhabitants and dispersed the remnants on exile. Since Jonah was an Israelite, he hated and despised the people who humiliated and destroyed his people, the human weakness in the prophet Jonah would have loved nothing more than seeing the Ninevites destroyed. So, he first tried not to go preach to Nineveh as God instructed him, and when it became obvious to him that running away from God and the mission to which he was sent was not going to be possible, Jonah decided to attend to the mission but with barest minimum effort.

In His covenant relationship with the people of Israel, God required human intermediaries to mediate between the people and the Lord. Many times, mediators also acted as the visible leaders of the people, took directives from the Sovereign God, and passed the same onto the people. At a particular time, Eli the priest of Shiloh was the designated intermediary between God and His people. Samuel had been offered to God by his mother and was learning the ways of the Lord under the competent guidance of Eli the priest.

“Epiphany,” as used in the Liturgy, refers to the self-manifestation of God to His people. Prior to the birth of Christ, the Jews, who were the first to enjoy a covenant relationship with God, believed that God was exclusively theirs and very distant even to the people with whom He made a covenant. As far as they were concerned, Yahweh was Israel’s God and all who desired a relationship with Him were required to adhere to Jewish rituals. He was also an almighty distant power who controlled their people’s lives through strict obedience to His laws. So awesome and distant was God that even his name could not be called.