Many of the religious leaders who joined the crowds to see Jesus teach were not coming there in good faith. Rather than earnestly trying to learn, they were actually there to try to trip Him up and to dissuade potential believers from following Him. On one occasion, having heard testimony of the many miracles He had done, they asked Jesus to perform a sign for them, to test Him.
39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For 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. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. Matthew 12:39-40 (NKJV)
Nineveh, known today as Mosul in Iraq, was the greatest city in the greatest known empire on earth in the early years of the prophet Isaiah and Judah’s King Ahaz. The Assyrians were known to be exceedingly cruel and harsh in the treatment of their conquered foes. God had permitted the Northern Kingdom of Israel to begin to experience some of their “heat” in hopes that it would turn them back to Him. Unfortunately, it did not.
In the midst of all this, God told the prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh to preach a simple message of repentance, so that they might turn to God. Instead, Jonah ran in the other direction, boarding a ship heading into the Mediterranean, far away from Nineveh.
God then sent a storm upon the sea such that the ship was tossed and on the verge of being lost. Jonah, convicted in his heart, admitted to the ship’s crew that he was on the run from God and was the likely cause of this impending disaster. He asked them to throw him overboard, presumably ending his life but helping to save the ship. The crew exhibited a deep faith in God and tried everything they could think of to avoid this, but in the end, reluctantly agreed to Jonah’s plan, and threw him into the sea.
But rather than ending his life as a failed prophet, God had a different plan for him. As Jonah sank into the depths of the sea, enwrapped in seaweed and praying to the Lord with his last bit of consciousness, God sent a great fish to swallow him, and he spent the next three days in the fish’s belly.
We have no idea what kind of fish this was. We also do not really know if Jonah was alive or dead these three days – the prophets Elijah and Elisha had both miraculously raised young people from the dead around this time period, so either case is possible. In Jesus’ response to the religious leaders of His day, His reference to Jonah was alluding to His own death and three-day burial prior to His resurrection. But either way, alive or dead, Jonah was spit up on the shore after three days in the fishes belly, and at that time, Jonah was very much alive and ready to obey God.
When God wants us to do something, He may give us a second chance, or multiple chances, before we finally agreed do it, but He will not often change His mind on our assignment. After Jonah’s revival, the Lord gave him the exact same instructions that He had given him the first time:
2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. Jonah 3:2-4 (NKJV)
Jonah’s simple message was well received by the multitude, and they responded positively in faith and repentance, thus avoiding the judgment of God. Contrast this with Jesus’ message that was rejected by the religious leaders in the crowd. As Jesus told His opponents, the people of Nineveh would one day rise up to condemn them for their lack of faith in Him and hard-heartedness to His message.
Some have speculated that Jonah must have been quite a sight to see in Nineveh after spending three days in the fish’s belly. But when we are obedient to God, no matter our appearance, we can achieve the most amazing results using His simple instructions. He does the actual work, but chooses to do it using obedient human instruments, as He wills us.
Reflection
God loves all people, from fierce Ninevites to unbelieving mockers, schemers, and religious opponents, even our own enemies. Which of these can I be praying for today?
Lord, help me to see my enemies the way that You do, with divine love. Help me to be obedient in performing the tasks that You are asking me to do. May Your Spirit achieve great and wonderful things as I attempt to carry out Your will, leaning totally upon Your power and strength throughout the entire process. We ask this in Jesus name, Amen.
Have an awesome day in the peace and joy of the Lord today!
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 