The Sign of Jonah

Jonah… He’s a childhood storybook favorite. He’s the prophet of God who was swallowed by a great fish! His story is one of the more familiar of the “Bible stories” in American culture. Many storybooks end with Nineveh’s repentance to God because of Jonah’s short, but obviously effective, message. “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). But how important is that story? How does it fit into the overall story of the Bible, or of Jesus and salvation? The difficult parts of that story often are overlooked, to make it more kid-friendly. Unfortunately, many people don’t quite grasp the significance of this 8th century B.C. prophet and how his story helps to “make straight the way of the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3, Mark 1:3). 

During Jesus’ ministry, the religious leaders failed to see any of the “signs” in the prophets that pointed to Jesus as the Messiah, even though He fit every prophecy made about Him. So, when the Pharisees began to criticize Jesus’ teachings or actions, they said in Matthew 12:38, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you!” Ultimately, they were asking Jesus to prove He had the authority to cast out demons, heal the sick, or do any of the things He was doing, something they had already recognized, according to Nicodemus’ statement in John 3:2, “We know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with Him.” 

Jesus’ response to the pharisee’s demand for a sign was “the sign of Jonah”!? Was it about repentance? After all, the Ninevites “believed” the message of Jonah (Jonah 3:4, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”) Or was there something else, a sign that would later be understood by its accurate, and impossible fulfillment. Jesus said in Matthew 12:39-40, “...For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth…” 

Jesus’ big “sign” for them was going to be His resurrection! This was the sign for all believers, forever. It’s what compels us; it’s what gives us hope. This is why Paul claimed in 1 Corinthians 2:2, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Later in that same letter (1 Corinthians 15), he focuses on Jesus' resurrection as the pivotal part of that event. Whether or not Jesus’ sign was sufficient for the Pharisees, they didn’t want to believe that His supreme power over all things, including death, was real. 

What sign are we looking for to determine if God’s promises are true? The Bible is packed with nuggets that point to Christ and His power over all things both in the Old and New Testament, our job is to have “eyes to see, and ears to hear” (Matthew 13:15).