Easter April 20, 2025
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I've mentioned before, I've always been interested in Biblical Studies.

Being Easter I thought I might talk about "The Sign of Jonah".

(I want to be clear, I've never had any formal education in this, it's just what I've picked up on my own and is just my opinion - you don't have to agree with any of it :-)

Also scholars often disagree on details and interpretation.

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I think most people are at least a little familiar with the Old Testament story of "Jonah and the Whale" but I'll give a brief summary here.

Some scholars believe that the Book of Jonah was meant as a parable, like Jesus' "Good Samaritan". The "truth" of the story isn't whether it actually happened or not, but rather the principles it is illustrating (i.e. that you should help a person in need, even an enemy).

A little background to the story.

The Assyrians had conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. Nineveh was the Assyrian capital city.

The ancient Jews absolutely despised the ancient Assyrians, much like modern day Jews do the German Nazis of Would War Two.

This probably explains why Jonah is depicted as so reluctant to preach to them.

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The story 

God is really put off by the wickedness in Nineveh and tells the Jewish Prophet Jonah to go there and preach to them.

Jonah doesn't want to do that, so he tries to run away as far as he can.

He gets on a ship bound for Tarshish, far across the sea.

Of course he can't escape God, who sends a mighty storm as a result.

The sailors are scared to death in the storm and pray to their gods for mercy.

The sailors figure out Jonah is the problem and even he recommends that they throw him overboard to stop the storm.

The sailors beg God for forgiveness and then, reluctantly, throw him overboard and the storm does stop.

God sends a "great fish" (NOT specifically a "whale") that swallows Jonah. He remains in the fish for three days and three nights.

Jonah is in pure panic mode, calling out to God to save him. Which he does and the fish vomits him up on land.

God tells him again to go to Nineveh and this time he does.

He's to preach their impending downfall in forty days.

The Ninevites believe him, take heed, fast, put on sackcloth and sit in ashes in repentance.

They renounce their evil ways and call on God to forgive them.

God sees their efforts, relents and doesn't destroy them.

Jonah is absolutely outraged - he doesn't want that.

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Jonah 4

2 He [Jonah] prayed to Yahweh and said, 'Please, Yahweh, isn't this what I said would happen when I was still in my own country? That was why I first tried to flee to Tarshish, since I knew you were a tender, compassionate God, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, who relents about inflicting disaster.

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God rebukes him for being angry about his granting mercy to the Ninevites. God cares about everybody, even the wicked Ninevites. 

The story is basically about repentance and conversion - resulting in forgiveness, mercy and salvation from God. 

Whether individually, as with Jonah, or collectively as with the Ninevites (or even the sailors) - God is merciful to the repentant.

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Fast forward to the New Testament.

About 200 years ago scholars noticed a great deal of overlap in the first three Gospels.

Sometimes, in places, they're even word for word the same.

They hypothesized that Mark was written first and that there was a second document, which has not survived, that they refer to as the "Q" Gospel (Q for the German word "Quelle" meaning "Source").

They think Matthew had a copy of Mark and Q, plus additional unique source information, when he wrote his Gospel.

They think the same was true for Luke.

Q is lost to us, but scholars have attempted to recreate it from what is common between Matthew and Luke.

Q appears to be mostly a list of sayings by Jesus, like the Golden Rule and not so much a narrative, like Jesus went here and did this and Jesus went there and did that.

An ancient document called the Gospel of Thomas was discovered in 1945. 

It is NOT Q but is a similar list of sayings of Jesus and seems to show that such collections existed in the earliest church.

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Scholars like to analyze when the three Gospels tell the same story but slightly differently.

Which brings us back to "The Sign of Jonah".
 
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Mark 8

11 The Pharisees came up and started a discussion with him [Jesus]; they demanded of him a sign from heaven, to put him to the test.

12 And with a profound sigh he said, 'Why does this generation demand a sign? In truth I tell you, no sign shall be given to this generation.'

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Luke 11

16 Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven;

...

29 The crowds got even bigger and he addressed them, 'This is an evil generation; it is asking for a sign. The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah.

30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be a sign to this generation.

...

32 On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh will appear against this generation and be its condemnation, because when Jonah preached they repented; and, look, there is something greater than Jonah here.

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Matthew 12

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees spoke up. 'Master,' they said, 'we should like to see a sign from you.'

39 He replied, 'It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign it will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah.

...

41 On Judgement Day the men of Nineveh will appear against this generation and they will be its condemnation, because when Jonah preached they repented; and look, there is something greater than Jonah here.

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Matthew 16 (a repeat?)

1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to put him to the test they asked if he would show them a sign from heaven.

...

4 'It is an evil and unfaithful generation asking for a sign, and the only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah.' And he left them and went off.

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Analysis

It is certainly possible these are four different events, Jesus could have been asked for a sign multiple times during his preaching.

But let's assume these were all describing the same event.

Minor differences can be overlooked as the Gospels were written down decades after the events of Jesus' life, besides, the differences don't seem to change the meaning anyway.

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"The Sign of Jonah" appears to refer to Jonah's preaching - not the big fish.

Matthew 16:41 AND Luke 11:32

"[Jesus said] ... when Jonah preached they repented; and, look, there is something greater than Jonah here."

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I skipped over the following verse, which is only in Matthew and seems out of place - it's the only mention of the "big fish" here.

Matthew 16:40

For as Jonah remained in the belly of the sea-monster for three days and three nights, so will the Son of man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

Why do I say this verse seems out of place?

We know by hindsight about Jesus' Death and Resurrection.

The people Jesus is talking to would have understood about Jonah's preaching, but they wouldn't know what Jesus was talking about, about being in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

We get it, but they wouldn't have had a clue.

Matthew seems to have added this verse as a sort of extra, explanatory note of sorts - Jesus probably didn't actually say it there.

I can't say that definitively, it's just an opinion based on the other verses.

There's nothing wrong with Jesus saying it there, his death and resurrection are traditionally thought to be a "sign" as to Jesus' identity. 

But I think "The Sign of Jonah" is really about Jonah's (and Jesus') core message - repentance and conversion - resulting in forgiveness and salvation - from a merciful, loving God. 

That's what "The Sign of Jonah" is really all about.

And that's no "fish tale" :-)

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A side note - Jonah is certainly a minor book in the Bible - only four chapters - and yet it's teaching is so profound that even Jesus refers to it.
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Happy Easter!
--Tom Swezey


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