Basic Christian Apologetics

The Book of Jonah

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you." He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 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. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here." Matthew 12:38-41

When the Pharisees inquire about a sign, Jesus responds by pointing to the sign of Jonah, which no one else has done before.

Jonah was a real person, he is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25 and most probably wrote the book of Jonah.

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because its wickedness has come up before me." Jonah 1:1

In Jonah 1:1- Jonah is not surprised by God's voice, he could be a prophet.

But why did he run away?

Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrians, who were fierce enemies of Israel and fervent pagans. They were the worst kind of people and were most likely responsible for the deaths of Jonah's close friends and family (read the books of Kings and Chronicles). Because he knew these people did not deserve God's grace, Jonah fled from God.

"But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord." Jonah 1:3

Because Tarshish is to the north and Nineveh is to the south, Jonah chose the opposite route. The sea can also mean Sheol (the place of no return/judgment), hell, or deep. Jonah coming to Jaffa, boarding a ship, and sleeping on the lowest deck all testify to the fact that he is being judged.

The pagan sailors are saved because of Jonah's disobedience to the word of God.

"Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried out to the Lord, "Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased." Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this, the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him." Jonah 1:13-16

The word "Lord" is literally the Hebrew word for YHWH/ Yahweh and not just any ordinary god. They feared God and offered sacrifice to Him.

"And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord(YHWH) will be saved." Joel 2:32

Hence God saves Gentiles through Jonah.

Jonah stays 3 days and nights in the belly of the fish. I agree it's debated as to what fish swallowed Jonah and it's also debated if Jonah was alive in the belly of fish. I believe, that if Jesus died and was buried for 3 days and night and came to life on the third day, even Jonah would have died and resurrected. That is the reason why Jesus chose the sign of Jonah.

"The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head." Jonah 2:5

The seaweed wrapping could represent a Jewish burial practice. Just like Jesus was wrapped in a linen shroud.

Nineveh will be destroyed in 40 days, according to Jonah (the shortest prophecy in the Bible yet of greatest impact).

Jonah began by going on a day's journey into the city, proclaiming, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown." The Ninevites believed in God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah's warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish." Jonah 3:4-10

The people of Nineveh repented from the layman to the king, and God spared the city from destruction, but Jonah was not pleased. He wished for Nineveh to be destroyed in the same way that Sodom and Gomorrah were. He waits for the day of judgment, but God shows compassion to him, despite the fact that he desires death twice.

But God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?"

"It is," he said. "And I'm so angry I wish I were dead."

But the Lord said, "You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?" Jonah 4:9-11

And the book comes to an end with a question to which Jonah knows the answer.

In our flesh, we can relate to Jonah. Even if we wish the best for others, we want our enemies to fail but Jesus reminds us, "to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:43

Jonah can also be compared to the Jews, by their disobedience the Gentiles were saved first. He may have believed that salvation was solely for Jews, but this book reminds us that none of us deserve God's grace, only justice and that God is merciful enough to freely provide salvation to all men.