The Lord in His Word reveals clear connections between the stories of Jonah, Jesus and Peter. Their stories illustrate to us the urgency of sharing the message of salvation with lost souls.
Jonah means “dove.” Jesus told His disciples to be wise as serpents but as harmless as doves. Jonah’s father’s name Amittai means “truth.” Truth and dove relate to the Holy Spirit.
Simon Peter’s father’s name was Jonah. Is it just a coincidence that Peter fled like the prophet Jonah did to a boat? Simon the Son of Jonah returned to his boat after the death of Jesus. In John 20:15, Jesus addressed Peter as Simon son of Jonah. Jesus asked the son of Jonah three times, “Do you love me?” Jesus gave him three opportunities to confess his love for Him after the son of Jonah denied him three times. Is it just a coincidence that Jonah the prophet preached to a multitude and a multitude repented and believed his message, and that, Simon Peter son of Jonah preached to a multitude in Acts 2:14-41, and 3,000 were people were added to the Church? Both men are testimonies of what God’s grace can do via His servants.
“But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So, he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” Jonah 1:3
Jonah went to Joppa. Simon Peter son of Jonah went to Joppa as well. In Acts 9:36-43, it happened in Joppa that Jesus used Simon Peter son of Jonah to resurrect a disciple named Tabitha from the dead. Simon son of Jonah stayed many days in Joppa. In Acts 10:1-48, while in Joppa, God gave Simon son of Jonah a vision that led him to preach Christ to Gentiles. Those Gentiles believed in Christ and were filled with the Holy Spirit. Jonah the prophet went to Joppa to flee from the Lord but ended up preaching to Gentiles. Peter went to Joppa in obedience to God, while there, the Lord instructed him via a vision to preach the Gospel to Gentiles.
Jonah paid money to flee from God’s presence. From Acts 9:43 and Acts 10:6, we learn that a man named Simon hosted Simon Peter son of Jonah in his house by the sea for many days. God provided for the Simon Peter son of Jonah as he obeyed the Lord’s leading.
“But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up. Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. So the captain came to him, and said to him, ‘What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God! Perhaps, your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.’” Jonah 1:4-6
Have you been on a ship at sea? Some experience sea sickness while on boats. Waves cause boats to plunge downward and launch upward repeatedly. It is hard to keep your balance on a boat that is being severely rocked by a storm.
Stormy seas between Joppa and Tarshish were characterized by hurricane-like conditions that threatened to break apart ships. In modern terms, waves off the coast of Israel can exceed 16 feet during storms. The Mediterranean was generally considered closed to sea travel from November– March due to violent storms. Perhaps, Jonah’s ship was sailing during this season.
The mariners on Jonah’s ship were afraid of losing their lives. They cried out to their gods. They threw unnecessary cargo overboard to help keep the ship floating high on the water.
Where was Jonah? He was fast asleep in the lowest parts of the ship. This part of his story reminds me of Mark 4:38-40 when Jesus fell asleep in a boat. His disciples woke Jesus up due to a life threatening storm that was happening. Jesus immediately silenced the wind and waves.
The captain seemed shocked that Jonah was sleeping. He urged to Jonah to pray to his God so that no one would perish.
“And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.’ So, they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.” Jonah 1:7
The mariners believed that God would reveal to them who on the ship was the guilty via the casting of lots.
In Joshua 7:14-18, Achan was revealed to be guilty of stealing forbidden plunder by the casting of lots. In 1 Samuel 14:38-44, Jonathan was revealed to be guilty of breaking a non-eating fast by the casting of lots. In Acts 1:26, the eleven apostles cast lots to determine who would replace Judas Iscariot. Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” So, the Lord has used the casting of lots to direct people.
“Then they said to him, ‘Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?’ So he said to them, ‘I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.’ Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, ‘Why have you done this?’ For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him, ‘What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?’—for the sea was growing more tempestuous. And he said to them, ‘Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then, the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me.’” Jonah 1:8-12
The lot indicated that Jonah was to blame for the life threatening storm. The mariners were terrified when they realized that Jonah had fled from the presence of the Lord. Jonah told them, “Throw me into the sea. Then, the sea will become calm.”
Jonah needed to die (it seemed) so these men could live. The only hope for sinful people to overcome death was that a sinless Savior (Jesus) would die in our place for our sins.
“Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them. Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.’ So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.” Jonah 1:13-16
In Luke 23:4, the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate told chief priests and a crowd, “'I find no guilt in this man.” In Luke 23:14, Pilate told them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites rebellion, and behold, I have examined him before you and found no guilt in him worthy of death.” In John 19:4, Pilate told them, “I find no basis against Him [Jesus].” Mark 15:10 says that Pilate knew that the chief priests betrayed Jesus out of envy. Jesus taught with authority. He did miracles. He cared for them. He drew more people to God than the chief priests did. In Matthew 27:24, Pilate washed his hands before the accusers of Jesus. He declared, “I am innocent of this man’s blood.” In Matthew 27:25, all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”
1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” Jesus willing went to His death for our sakes. In John 1:29, John the Baptists declared that Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. In Acts 8:32-35, Phillip explained to an enquirer that Jesus Christ fulfilled the prophecy written in Isaiah 53:7, which says, “Like a sheep He was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so He opens not His mouth.” That man believed in Jesus and was baptized.
The Pharisees wanted Jesus to die. The mariners did not want Jonah to die. They rowed hard to return to land, but the sea was too violent. They had to throw Jonah overboard. They prayed, “O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You.” After they threw Jonah into the raging sea, they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows. They wanted God to change His position towards them from displeasure to pleasure.
“Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:17
A great fish especially prepared by the Lord swallowed not ate Jonah. The fish’s belly became Jonah’s accommodations for three days and nights. Not quite the vacation he dreamed about.
“Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly. And he said: ‘I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol [the grave] I cried, and You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me. All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight. Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ The waters surrounded me, even to my soul. The deep closed around me. Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains. The earth with its bars closed behind me forever...” Jonah 2:1-6
The mariners prayed to the Lord and Jonah prayed to the Lord as well.
Jonah was under water. He was in darkness. The waters surrounded his soul. Weeds wrapped around his head. The earth’s bars closed behind him forever. This sounds like being buried alive. No human could rescue him. His only hope was God. But would the God that he ran away from rescue him? Could God forgive him? His sin had endangered the lives of others. He did not deserve to be rescued, but he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord saved Him. Praise the Lord!
“...Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple. Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.’” Jonah 2:6-9
“Those who accept the literal account of Jonah take one of two main views regarding what happened to Jonah during his time in the belly of the great fish. One view holds that Jonah died and later returned to life. The second view holds that Jonah remained alive for three days in the belly of the great fish. Both views agree on a literal reading of the book of Jonah and affirm God’s supernatural ability to rescue His prophet. The difference is whether to see Jonah 2:10 as a description of a weak and bedraggled Jonah or as a truly resurrected Jonah.
Those who argue that Jonah died and later rose again appeal to Jonah’s prayer in Jonah 2:2: “From the depths of the grave I called for help.” The use of Sheol, the Hebrew term for “the grave,” could mean that Jonah actually died. Yet the words “the depths of the grave,” seen as a poetic type of phrase, could easily refer to an agonizing or horrifying experience.
There’s another reason that some argue for Jonah’s death and resurrection. In Matthew 12:40, Jesus said, “For 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.” The reasoning is that, since Jesus’ death and resurrection were actual, then Jonah must have also actually died and later returned to life. However, Jesus’ comparison does not mandate perfect congruency between the two events. Jonah’s hopeless situation was illustrative of Jesus’ death. Jonah’s sudden appearance at Nineveh was illustrative of Jesus’ resurrection. The three days was an additional similarity. Jonah returned from the edge of death. Jesus, who is greater than Jonah, returned from actual death. Analogies do not require absolute agreement in every detail.
The Bible does not explicitly state that Jonah died in the belly of the great fish. Those who theorize that he did die rely on inference and speculation.
What is the evidence that Jonah stayed alive for the three days he spent in the belly of the great fish? First, in Jonah 2:1, it is clear that Jonah prayed from inside the fish. At the very least, Jonah lived long enough to offer his prayer.
Second, the language of Jonah’s prayer is poetic in nature. Terms such as “Sheol” and “the pit” do not have to be interpreted so literally as to require physical death.
Did Jonah die in the fish, or was he alive the whole time? Either interpretation is possible, but the traditional understanding, that Jonah was alive for three days in the belly of a great fish, is more likely. Jonah, who everyone thought was a “goner,” emerged from the murky depths to bring God’s message of salvation to a lost and dying people. In so doing, he became a wonderful representation of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and life-giving message.” [1]
Jonah said to the Lord, “You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God.” As his soul was beginning to faint, he remembered the Lord and prayed. He realized, “Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own mercy.” The Ninevites were idolators. Unless they turned from idols to God, they would not be saved. “Salvation is of the Lord.”
“So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” Jonah 2:10
That truly was a great fish. He swallowed Jonah and became his mode of transportation to reach land. The fish followed the Lord’s directions. The Lord used him to save Jonah. Now, if God can use a fish to save a man, how much more can God use a man to preach the Gospel that saves people’s souls?
In Mark 16:15, after His resurrection from the dead, Jesus said to His disciples, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.”
[1] GotQuestions.com
No comments:
Post a Comment