Tag Archives: Sign of Jonah

Matthew 12- The Sign of Jonah

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Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:38-40

Throughout Jesus ministry he prophesied about his death and about his resurrection on the 3rd day. However the disciples never understood what he was talking about, they never seemed to grasp the idea that the Messiah had to die for the sins of the world. However almost everybody knows the story of Jonah, even people who are Atheists typically have heard the story of Jonah and the whale, it’s shocking that the Resurrection story of Christ has always been in the Sunday School story, just nobody could put it all together

The religious leaders demanded a sign from Jesus that He is the Messiah, well Jesus was given them the sign, the Resurrection! Christ retold the story of Jonah and the Whale, Jonah spent 3 days and nights in the belly of the whale, symbolic of the heart of the Earth. So if you want your sign, look at the Empty Tomb! The Tomb is still empty today because Christ Is Risen!

Now 3 days and 3 nights has been a controversial topic in Christianity, unfortunately. The real error comes when we try to read the Bible as a 21rst Century American. You need to read it as a 1rst Century Jew, 3 Days and 3 Nights is a Hebrew Idiom, does not mean a literal 72 hours. I know alot of English speaking Christians have a hard time comprehending this, but I would recommend you do a deeper study into that topic before reading it as a 21rst Century American

The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 12:41-42

As Jesus said “ A greater Jonah is Here” The story of Jonah and the Whale was a foreshadow of the Resurrection of Christ and the New Covenant. Remember Nineveh was a Gentile nation, this is why Jonah didn’t want to go there and preach. But after Jonah preached repentance there and the Gentiles truly repented , God forgave them. This is a complete foreshadow of the New Covenant and the Resurrection of Christ

Next time you read the Sunday School story of Jonah and the Whale, think of Jesus, think about what he did for us on the cross to atone for our sins and the eternal resurrection on Easter Sunday morning! Amen!

Luke 11- Sign of Jonah

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And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. Luke 11:29-30

Throughout the history of creation , people are looking for a sign. When Jesus was on Earth, the Jews were demanding a sign from Christ, even though Jesus was the sign. He is the Bread that came down from Heaven, the Manna from God (John 6) However either the people didn’t understand the fulfillment of Jesus or they didn’t want to 

So Jesus told them the sign of Jonah was already given to you. Now his Jewish audience would be familiar with the prophet Jonah and his story. However again, they didn’t understand what Jesus was revealing to them, and I think most Christians even today don’t understand the relevance of Jonah with the coming of Christ

A couple quick points to make so you understand how Jonah was a foreshadow of Christ. First, the mission of Jonah was to preach to the Ninevites, who were Gentiles. This is a foreshadow of the New Covenant , and also a reason why Jonah didn’t want to preach to Gentiles. Secondly, the Ninevites came to salvation through repentance and faith in God. God spared the Ninevites based on them repenting and putting their faith in Him, the same that we are saved through Christ. Lastly, when Jonah was swallowed in the whales and spit out after 3 days, was a foreshadow of Christ’s resurrection in the tomb. (Matthew 12:40) 

The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. Luke 11:31-32

Jesus is revealing here, that the Old Testament and all of its prophets and patriarchs, are a foreshadow of himself. As we know King Solomon was the wisest man to live (1 Kings 4:30) However Jesus says “ A greater Solomon is here” , revealing Jesus is the wisest man to ever live, of course because He is the Son of God. However Solomon’s wisdom and teachings were just a foreshadow of the Messiah to come

Next Jesus says “A greater Jonah is here” ,  meaning Jesus is going to preach to the entire world about repentance and salvation. Not only that Jesus spent 3 days in the grave, not a whale and rose from the dead forever, defeating sin and death. Jonah was just another foreshadow of the Messiah to come

However that generation is this generation today still demand a sign. Even though Christ rose from the dead, we still demand proof of Gods existence, oh this wicked and perverse generation, Jesus is the sign, repent or perish! Amen!