Lessons from the Book of Jonah
Introduction
The book of Jonah is a book of mercy and redemption.
As a child in Sunday School you are taught the rather fantastic story of "Jonah and the Whale" where Jonah is swallowed up by a whale and then spit out on the shore. Unfortunately, this is the extent of what most of us know about Jonah.
In Matthew 12:38-42 and Mark 8:11-12 Jesus tells the pharisees who constantly want to see a sign (miracle) to prove that his is the Messiah, He tells them the only sign they will see is "the Sign of Jonah".
Jesus compares Jonah's three days in the belly of the great fish to his coming three days in the belly of the Earth (the tomb) and says that the people of Nineveh would be counted as more righteous than the people of Jesus' generation because in Jonah's time, the citizens and king of Nineveh listened to Jonah and repented whereas the pharisees of Jesus' time heard His message and, rather than repenting, plotted to kill him.
What did Jesus mean when he said the only sign that generation would see would be the sign of Jonah? The answer is a bit more complicated that it might seem and goes way beyond just three days in the belly of a fish.
The book of Jonah has four chapters and each of these four chapters has a different lesson to teach; all of them play a part in Jesus' reference to "the Sign of Jonah".
Jonah
Chapter 1: The story of redemption experienced by every believer.
In verses 1 -3 we see God's Call: we find that God calls Jonah to do God's will. Jonah knows the difference in right and wrong and chooses to do the wrong. Rather than going to Nineveh as God had commanded, he instead went to Joppa to catch a boat to Tarshish, as far away from Nineveh as he could go.
In verses 4-8 we see the results of Jonah's Sin in Disobeying God: the consequences of sin is God's judgement.
In verses 9-12 we see Jonah's Confession; Jonah admits his sin and owns up to it.
In verse 13 we see the need for God for salvation: the sailors attempt to save themselves, but their efforts are useless. A person cannot work his way into salvation2.
In verse 14 we see the Sinner's Prayer: the sailors pray to God for mercy
In verse 15a we find Obedience: the sailors understand that the only way to salvation is through obedience to God.
In verse 15b the result of obedience is Peace: the sea becomes calm.
In verse 16 the ultimate result of obedience is Salvation.
In Verse 17. as Jonah is drowning in the depths of the sea, he becomes a typology of Jesus, Himself and, just as Jesus is buried for three days in the depths of the earth, Jonah is buried in the depths of the sea for three days.
Chapter 2: The Sign of Jonah
In the second chapter, we find Jonah's prayer of dispair and obedience to God. Like Jesus, Jonah becomes obedient God's calling to the point of death.
From the belly of the great fish Jonah cries out in distress much like Jesus did on the cross, lamenting the situation, but always calling on God as good.
In Matthew 26:39 we hear Jesus on the cross crying out "eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Many people have said that Jesus said this because God the Father turned his face away from him on the cross. This, however, is an incorrect interpretation. Rather, Jesus is quoting his ancestor David in Psalm 22 which begins: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"
In Chapter 2 we read the following,
From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said:
“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
In Psalm 22:24 we read the similar sentiment:
For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;Nor has He hidden His face from him;But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
Jonah 2:8-9 says:
“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you.What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”
Psalm 22:29-31 then says:
All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!
What has he done? Achieved the pinnacle of God's grace for human kind - provided a means for eternal salvation from the consequences of our sin.
And in the last verse of the second chapter of Jonah, just as Jesus arose from the depths of the earth on the third say, God commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah out from the depths of the sea and onto dry land.
Chapter 3: God's Nature is Unchanging
... but he can change his mind
We know from many places that God is unchanging. Some take that to mean that God never changes his mind, but the third chapter of Jonah directly refutes this clam. What is unchanging about God is his mercy and his grace.
In the third chapter of Jonah, he preaches to the people of Nineveh and the people and the king repent of their wicked ways and beg for forgiveness. This is a common theme throughout the Bible.
Jonah 3:10 says,
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
In Jeremiah 18:7-10, God further explains:
If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
James 5:16 brings it home to each of us:
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
The lesson of chapter 3 is God's unrelenting mercy for His creation and His excessive grace shown for those who accept it and repent from their disobedience.
Chapter 4: God's Divine Mercy is Revealed
The last chapter of Jonah describes Jonah's frustration at God's saving grace. After all, Nineveh has been attacking and oppressing the Hebrew people and according to Jonah's since of fair play, they do not deserve salvation, they deserve to be punished.
How grateful am I that my fate is in the hands of a loving God and not all the people I have wronged in my life.
In Ezekiel 33:11 God plainly states that he takes no pleasure in the death of evil people:
Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’
The lesson of chapter 4 is that God's mercy is for everyone. There is no way any human can be good enough to earn their way into heaven and there is no way any human can be bad enough that they are beyond redemption.
The Ninevites were exceedingly wicked and exceedingly violent and yet God spared them when they repented of their evil ways.
Conclusion
This is the true and full meaning of "the Sign of Jonah". Not just that Jesus would be in the depths of the Earth for three days and then rise, but that his message of salvation is for everyone, everywhere, with no pre-conditions.
Romans 3:23 New International Version (NIV)
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Ephesians 2:8-9 New International Version (NIV)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Romans 10:9-13 New International Version (NIV)
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
END NOTES
From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. He said:
“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;Nor has He hidden His face from him;But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.
Jonah 2:8-9 says:
“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you.What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”
All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!
... but he can change his mind
When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.
If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
How grateful am I that my fate is in the hands of a loving God and not all the people I have wronged in my life.
Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
