Jonah

A few days in the life of Jonah which point to the work of Christ

       The history of Jonah is very interesting. The Bible tells us that he tried to run away from the will of God, and that he was later swallowed by “a great fish”. The great fish was most probably a whale. For those who feel that this part of the story is too incredible to be true, I might add that it is not the only time that a man has been swallowed by a whale. In 1891, the whaling ship “The Star of the East” was off the Falkland Islands when it sighted a large sperm whale. Whale boats were launched and the whale was harpooned. Before the whale was killed, one of the boats was smashed and Seaman John Bartley disappeared. The whale was dismembered the following day and John Bartley was found alive in the stomach. He had lost consciousness until he was revived in the captain's cabin. He reported that he had air, but complained that it was hot and dark. In addition to the mental anguish and terror of the ordeal, he suffered physically. The digestive juices started to bleach his skin.

The ordeal that Jonah, and later John Bartley went through is very interesting, however; it is not for the sake of interest that we have in the Bible the story of Jonah. It has a much deeper purpose. Jesus alluded to the purpose when he said, “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.” (Matt. 12:40). It is clear from this statement that the ordeal Jonah went through was pointing to the experience of Christ. If we look at what happened to Jonah very closely, we will see that in many other ways also, he pointed to the experiences of Christ. The parallel experiences are listed below. The experience of Jonah is given first, followed by the fulfilment of the experience in Christ. The sequence follows the book of Jonah, beginning with Jonah 1:7 and concluding at 3:10.
To obtain the maximum benefit from this study, it is recommended that the book of Jonah - just four chapters - be read first.

1. The lot fell on Jonah, he is the one chosen to rescue the sailors from tragedy (Jonah 1:7).
Jesus chosen: John the Baptist said of Jesus, “‘... ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29). See also 14:6.

2. The sacrifice of Jonah is needed to turn aside the wrath of God (1:12).
The sacrifice of Jesus was necessary (Ephesians 5:2).

3. Jonah is delivered into the hands of Gentiles (1:15).
“and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” (Matt. 20:19).

4. By the delivery of Jonah up to death, the wrath of God is turned aside (1:15).
“... Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” (1 Thess. 1:10).

5. At the deliverance of Jonah up to death, men believe and offer a sacrifice (1:16).
A centurion and those with him, observing the death of Jesus and what took place, declare Jesus to be the son of God (Matt. 27:54).

6. Jonah was delivered up to death for three days and three nights (1:17).
“... 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.” (Matt. 12:40).

7. Seaweed was wrapped around his head (2:5).
“and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head...” (Matt. 27:29).

8. Jonah was resurrected after three days (2:10).
Jesus rose from the dead after three days (Matt. 28:1-6, Mark 8:31).

9. After the resurrection of Jonah, the gospel goes to the Gentiles (3:2).
"... we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" (Acts 13:46-47).
Regarding Saul/Paul: "This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings ..." (Acts 9:15).
Regarding Jesus: “In his name the nations will put their hope.” (Matt. 12:21). See also Acts 11:18.

10. Jonah went to Nineveh (3:3). Most likely with a changed body, his skin bleached by the digestive juices.
Jesus rose from the grave with a different, more powerful body (Luke 24:43, 1 Cor. 15:40-44).

11. The Gentiles repent and believe (3:5-10).
“... salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious.” (Rom. 11:11).

From all of the information above there are a few points which we should focus our attention upon.

Jonah Chosen
God was angry with Jonah when he tried to run away from the task which was given to him, however; it is quite evident that the wrath of God was not only about to fall upon Jonah, it was going to fall upon all of the inhabitants in the boat as well. The only way by which the inhabitants could be saved is through a sacrifice. A life has to be delivered up to death in order for others to be saved. The men in the boat at first try to save themselves, this is typical of many, perhaps most people, however; after a time it becomes quite evident that it is impossible for them to save themselves. They then abandon all human effort and put their trust in God’s way for their salvation.
That is typical of many who are truly saved from the wrath of God to come. They initially put their trust in their own human striving to please God, but finally they put their trust in God’s method of saving sinners. That is, in Christ’s perfect life, death and resurrection on their behalf.
It is interesting to note that Jonah was chosen by God to be the sacrifice by which the wrath of God would be turned aside from falling upon all the inhabitants in the boat. God used the lot to make his choice known. Likewise, Jesus was chosen by God to be the means by which the wrath of God is turned aside from sinners by his death on the cross. Salvation could not be brought into effect by the sacrifice of just any person. It had to be a person of God’s choosing, and he could not choose any other person; it had to be his own precious Son.

Delivered Up to Gentiles
It is interesting to note that although Jonah was a Jew, he was not delivered into the hands of the Jews in order to be sacrificed, but rather into the hands of Gentiles. Jonah was chosen by God to be the sacrifice, but at the same time it was a voluntary sacrifice. The men in the boat did not have to chase after Jonah and capture him. He went willingly; he delivered himself into their hands, in fact he told them that they must sacrifice him. He did not give them any alternative.
Jonah went willingly without complaint. Jesus also went willingly and without complaint, “...as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7).
Just as Jonah was delivered into the hands of Gentiles, likewise, Jesus was delivered up into the hands of Gentiles. Jesus said regarding himself, “...They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified...” (Matt. 20:18-19).
Regarding the burial of both men, it is significant that Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days. Jesus said of his own burial, “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.” (Matt. 12:40).

Salvation for Gentiles
The Jews knew they were God’s people, a chosen nation especially favoured by God. Most Jews, including Jonah it would appear, did not think God’s blessings could or should extend to the Gentiles. Jonah was certainly hostile to the idea that Nineveh should escape the judgment of God. Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian empire, an empire which was dominant over surrounding nations for many years, especially under Tiglath-pilaser 111 (745-727 B.C.).
According to 2 Kings 14:25, Jonah lived in Gath-hepher just north of Nazareth during the reign of Jeroboam II in the eighth century BC. At this time, Hosea and Amos were also prophesying.
Nineveh eventually forgot God’s grace toward it in the time of Jonah, and it became cruel and oppressive. Consequently, God raised up the prophet Nahum to foretell its destruction. (See Nahum 1:7-8). Nineveh eventually fell to the Babylonians in 612 B.C.

God’s extraordinary action in forcing Jonah to go to Nineveh demonstrates that his love extends far beyond the borders of Israel. The people of Nineveh repented of their sins and they were saved from the wrath of God. Likewise, after the resurrection of Jesus, salvation has primarily gone to the Gentiles as prophesied it would. “My name will be great among the nations...” (Malachi 1:11). In the New Testament we read, “...salvation has come to the Gentiles...” (Rom. 11:11).

End Notes
1. F.C. Payne, "Seal of God ", Evangelistic Literature Enterprise, 1987, p. 53.

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