Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

In Matthew 12:40-41, Jesus gave a twofold explanation of His meaning.

The first was the similarity between the time that Jonah spent in the belly of the great fish that swallowed him (Jonah 1:17) before the fish vomited him back out on land (Jonah 2:10), and the time that Jesus would be entombed following his death (when He would be in the figurative "belly of the earth") until He would rise again.

The second sign was the manner in which Jonah had been sent by God to the inhabitants of the large city of Nineveh (Jonah 3:1-2) to warn them that the city was about to be destroyed by God if its citizens did not repent of their wickedness. In the same way, Jesus (who described Himself as greater than Jonah (Luke 11:32)) was sent by God to Israel (and, in particular, to Jerusalem) preaching repentance. Nineveh repented at Jonah's preaching and was spared, but Jerusalem rejected Jesus as the Messiah, and was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70.

August 06 2018 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

John Appelt Supporter

When Jesus was confronted by Pharisees and scribes to show them a sign, Jesus said none would be given them except the sign of the prophet Jonah, Matthew 12:40.

This was an amazing response as these leaders were expecting something spectacular such as fire being called out of heaven. Instead, He drew on a most humiliating event on Jonah’s part, being swallowed by some great fish and remaining there in the belly for three days and three nights. But by this, Jesus predicted what would happen to Him, especially the unusual sign of being raised from the dead the third day.

This poses a problem because the phrase, “three days AND three nights,” only found here, does not work from Friday to Sunday. Three days can be understood but not three nights. The resurrection is definitely on Sunday, the first day of the week, but to make it fit, some place the crucifixion on Wednesday or Thursday. But Friday is the day Jesus died. All the gospel writers called it Preparation (day), the modern Greek name for Friday. It was the day to prepare for the Sabbath when no one was to work.

There is an explanation that makes sense. The clue is in the phrase “heart of the earth.” It is usually thought of as the grave, but despite what some people claim, Jonah did not die but was captive. In like manner, Jesus was captive when He was arrested and brought to the “heart of the earth” or “heart of the land,” that is, to the authorities.

This is the sense in Deuteronomy 11:3, which says the people saw God’s “...signs and His acts which He did in the midst of Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to all his land.” God worked in “the midst [or heart] of Egypt,’ specifically the ruler, “Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

Jesus predicted the third day would be after being delivered over to authorities, Matthew 16:21, Matthew 20:18-19, Luke 24:20-21. From the betrayal to the resurrection would be the time frame. Thus, the timeline looks like this, noting that as the Jewish saying goes, “The portion of a day is as the whole of it”:

1st night – betrayal, arrest, interrogations
1st day – trials, mocking, scourging, crucifixion, burial
2nd night – in the tomb
2nd day – in the tomb
3rd night – in the tomb
3rd day – resurrection soon after dawn

The interesting thing is that the Lord spoke to the fish, deciding the very moment to have the fish eject Jonah and “deposit” him on dry land. Not one day, two days, but after three days and three nights. Likewise, God chose to raise Jesus from the grave on the third day.

The whole experience is captured by the words of Isaiah 53:5, in that even from the time of arrest, Jesus suffered for our sins and for this we have peace and healing from our sin-stricken condition.

All it requires is to believe in Jesus, John 6:47, accepting this miraculous sign of God.

5 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report