JONAH REFLECTION

29 “When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and indeed, something greater than Solomon is here! 32 The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and indeed, something greater than Jonah is here!” – Luke 11:29-32 

38 “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. 41 The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and indeed something greater than Jonah is here! 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and indeed something greater than Solomon is here!” – Matthew 12:38-42 

Just because we’ve finished going through a gospel account, doesn’t mean that we’re done with Jesus. And it doesn’t mean that we’re done with textual analysis either!  

Look at these two accounts of Jesus’ words. He brings the story of Jonah into a new light, but what is he saying? Why don’t you play a little game of spot the difference – how many can you spot? 

And if you’re feeling particularly mentally agile, take another minute or two to wonder why these differences might exist. 

Well, the main difference I noticed was that they disagree as to what the sign of Jonah is. On Sunday, Emily made a reference to the Matthean school of thought – “just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth”. For the most part, people have understood this to refer simply to the time Jesus spent dead and buried. Some have used this to explore the idea of the ‘Harrowing of Hell’, which suggests that Jesus, in those three days ‘descended’ into hell to preach to the souls who had died before his coming to Earth – not especially well grounded biblically, but worth reading about if you’ve got 5 mins to explore over a cup of tea… 

Anyway, let’s stick with the more simple reading. Luke, appearing to disagree with Matthew’s reading, describes the sign of Jonah as the work of Jonah – his obedience that Emily spoke about on Sunday (catch up or listen again here!) and his proclamation to Nineveh. 

This work can be found most basically captured in Jonah 3. 

3 So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. 

So which is it?  

This is the beauty of occasions where the books of the bible differ from one another – we get two intriguing perspectives offering two valid interpretations. I think both can be true at the same time, and that’s not just a bible-affirming cop out, but a logical reading of these passages, along with the story of Jonah! 

What stood out to me reading through Jonah this week was that it is ultimately a story about salvation. First, as Matthew points out, there is the miracle of Jonah being ‘in the belly of the sea monster’ for three days and then rising out of it (to put it nicely…), mirrored in the miracle of Jesus’ death and resurrection three days later. 

 Just one more quick aside – though most translations go for ‘big fish’, ‘sea monster’ in the NRSV sounds reminiscent of the infamous, mythical Leviathan which is mentioned in the Old Testament (Job 41, Psalm 74) as a symbol of chaos or an enemy that God has dominion over – if the fish is indeed representing the grave, this could be an affirmation that the sign of Jonah includes God’s dominion over death.  

But it isn’t just Jonah who is saved from death. The people of Nineveh were warned by Jonah that in forty days, they would be ‘overthrown’. We don’t live in a time when people or things are overthrown – the revolutions of the 18th/19th/20th Century are behind us, and now people in power tend to just resign under public pressure or are allowed to wait to step down gracefully… What being ‘overthrown’ meant in the ancient world is imminent destruction and/or complete annihilation. The people of Nineveh, by repenting and turning to God, were saved from this fatal fate, spared death and offered life. Sound familiar?? 

The sign of Jonah, then, is a message of salvation. 

Jesus says that the people of Nineveh and the Queen of the South, referring to the Queen of Sheba (1 Kings10:1-13), will stand in judgement of the generation who ignore or overlook even greater signs than the resurrection and proclamation of Jonah or the wisdom of King Solomon.  

What, then, is the sign to our generation? We are!

That’s why the great commission is important. WE must go. That’s why we must pay attention to the cautionary tale of Jonah. If Jonah hadn’t gone, Nineveh would have been decimated and all of those who lived there would not have turned to God.  

We’ve spoken lots in church about where to go or who to. But today, think about this alternative question, posed to us by Jonah; What if we don’t go? 

Let us carry with us the cry of Jonah from the depths of the belly of the beast: 

“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.’”