What is the link between Jonah and Jesus Christ? This is the question that we seek to answer in this study, where we will examine the words of Jesus in the New Testament, in Matt 12:38-42.
(A) Looking for signs of the Christ (Matt 12:38-39)
In this passage, Jesus speaks with the scribes and the Pharisees (Matt 12:38a). The scribes were a class of priests responsible for copying the law, while the Pharisees were the religious teachers of the day. These verses also mention other characters, such as Jonah (Matt 12:39), the Son of Man (Matt 12:40), men of Nineveh (Matt 12:41), the queen of the South (Matt 12:42) and Solomon (Matt 12:42). This reminds us that the Old and the New Testaments need to be read together! The New Testament is important to our understanding of the Old Testament, and the Old Testament is referenced by the New.
Matt 12:38 begins with the word "then", indicating that the narrative is progressing and flows from something. Naturally, we ought to look up and read the verses before! In Matt 12:33-37, Jesus was already speaking to the scribes and Pharisees, and declared the principle that "the tree is known by its fruit" (Matt 12: 33). Jesus pointed out that their speech revealed their hearts. Therefore, it was the scribes and Pharisees who have heard this that asked Jesus for a sign here (Matt 12:39). Why? Signs and miracles were not just for fun or for show. It was to prove a point -- to demonstrate his authority and credibility.
Jesus heard their request and replied them with condemnation, calling them "an evil and adulterous generation" that seeks for a sign (Matt 12:39). Imagine their surprise when they heard this reply. Is this the kind of Jesus that you recognise? This is not the gentle Jesus, meek and mild picture that we like, where He cuddles a lamb here and hangs out with children there. Here, we see a Jesus who evaluates and judges and exposes the hypocrisy of their hearts.
This exchange shows us that it is possible to come to Jesus looking for proof, but possess an evil and adulterous heart. This should also prompt us to examine our own hearts. How do we come to God today? How do we approach Him on Sundays? What is happening in our hearts? Sometimes Jesus has the harshest words for the religious teachers and people of their days. Is your walk with God genuine? Do I want to see the sign that will see me to real faith, or am I looking for signs and wonders to be impressed? In the same way, this also shows us that Jesus could answer our questions in surprising ways, and His answer may not be what we're looking for or ready to accept.
(B) The surprising Old Testament sign (Matt 12:39-40)
However, Jesus does give them a sign. It is the "sign of the prophet Jonah" (Matt 12:39b). Jesus goes on to compare Jonah and the "Son of Man", that "just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matt 12:40). The original listeners would understand the "Son of Man" reference easily, for it is spoken of in Dan 7:13-14. Here, Jesus is pulling this together with Jonah, putting images and references that may not be usually associated together. Essentially, Jesus is saying that the Messiah that they have been waiting for is going to be swallowed up in a way similar to Jonah. But this is not what the people imagined the Messiah to be. To them, the Messiah would come and overthrow the rule of their oppressors and reign forever. He would not come to die, thus Jesus' words presented a problem for the Jews! Jesus was telling them that his death and resurrection would be the clearest evidence for the truth of the gospel. The clearest proof of his divinity, the sign that they were looking for, would be His death and resurrection as predicted by the Old Testament, and which He will soon fulfill.
It would be helpful now to summarise the lessons in Jonah, and to see how this passage in Matthew enriches it.
Jonah's heart (Jonah 1)
In the first chapter, we saw Jonah's rebellious, cold, unforgiving, self-righteous heart. Yet he knew God and was even a prophet of this God. One could be a follower of God and still struggle in this way. Do you recognise this familiar heart?
Jonah's death and resurrection (Jonah 2-3)
Jonah was hurled into the waters, which symbolised the wrath and judgment of God. But he was shown mercy and was rescued by God. God did the raising up. This resulted in a major transformation in him, and he obeyed the command to head to Nineveh. He preached and his recipients received his message of judgment and repented. His preaching reaches both the highest and lowest in the city and sparks a citywide repentance and transformation.
Jonah's God revealed (Jonah 4)
This chapter revealed a patient God who disciplines and is a God who pities and has compassion. This is also a God who has a heart for the nations. In contrast, Jonah's heart was hard.
We can therefore use the narrative structure of Jonah and overlay it on the life and acts of Jesus to see some thematic continuity. Jonah was hurled overboard in the storm to save the mariners and to bear the judgment that was his. He was swallowed up by the fish in a supernatural event. In a similar fashion, Jesus' death was also a supernatural event. Jonah was therefore a type and pointed to Jesus' eventual work.
However, Jesus was definitely greater than Jonah, and there were many points of discontinuities. Jonah was an unwilling prophet and had no heart of mercy for his enemies and needed to be disciplined. In contrast, Jesus was willing to reach out to His enemies and sought to save them. He was full of mercy and grace, and yet was disciplined on behalf of His enemies. Jonah was thrown overboard to save himself (the cause of it all!) and the mariners, but Jesus willingly hurled Himself headfirst into the wrath of God despite His innocence. The prophet Jonah declared an incomplete message, one only of the judgment for sins but Jesus came and delivered the perfect message of salvation. The book of Jonah, as we read, ends with the prophet still out of sync with the heart and mission of God. In contrast, Jesus, the one who is greater than Jonah had a heart completely in sync with the will of God.
This is the Son of Man who is greater than Jonah.
(C) The message of the sign (Matt 12:41-42)
In Matt 12: 41-42, Jesus goes on to describe two groups of people who will "rise up". Both the men of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba will rise up and respond to what they see and hear. The men of Nineveh repented at the teaching of Jonah, while the Queen of Sheba "came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon". The scribes and Pharisees will be shown something greater than Jonah and Solomon but they just don't get it. The scribes and Pharisees' blindness will be worthy of condemnation. These are the crazy things that got Jesus to the cross but every single thing that He said is and was proven true.
What are we to learn from here? We are meant to hear and see the greatness of Jesus Christ! Jesus expects us to be amazed by Him. Have you grown so familiar with Jesus? Do you hear what He is saying to you today? There is only One who deserves your utter devotion, submission and loyalty. He desires all your time, money and for His sake you should and can give up your job, relationship and hold back nothing. This sign that Jesus gave them was meant to show one thing -- that He, Jesus Christ, is preeminent.
On Spy Wednesday, two days before the cross, two people had different reactions and response to Jesus. The woman anointed and poured out oil all over Jesus as an act of her devotion and love, while Judas thought that that was a waste of money and he went out to betray Him on this day. What do you think of Jesus Christ today? Is your heart overflowing with love like the woman's was, or is your heart cold and calculating? If it is the latter, pray, and do not give up until God rekindles your love again.
As we close this study, in light of Holy Week, how should we understand the message of the Old Testament? Through this passage, and other passages such as Luke 24:36-47, we learn that Jesus is saying that all the Old Testament books talk about Him and He opened their mind to understand the Scriptures. Practically speaking, if we don't read the Old Testament, we will not understand the forms, structures and types that are laid out in the Old Testament and with this incomplete understanding, the New Testament will not make that much sense. It is important to love the entire Bible, not just bits and pieces that we like because it makes us feel good. The message of the sign of Jonah is that Christians everywhere who love Him will love Him as He has revealed Himself. Let us make sure that we do not love a Jesus that we make up, but that we are loving a Jesus that God has revealed to us in and through His word. Attach your soul to a Christ-centred understanding of Scripture, otherwise, you will drift. Today, are you looking for a sign from God? What is God saying to you about your heart? As you read this passage, and the book of Jonah, what is God teaching you today about Jesus?