The Sign of Jonah (Jonah 1:17-2:10)

Last time we saw how Jonah is about more than a man and a big fish. We see more of this idea when we read Matthew 12:40, as Jesus, in typical meek and mild style tells His listeners that evil and adulterous people look for a sign, no sign will be given them apart from the sign of Jonah. Jesus will be three days and nights in the earth, just as Jonah was three days and nights in the belly of the fish. What's the sign of Jonah? A man rising from the dead. This sign should be enough to rest our faith on.

So how does the rest of Jonah 2 point us towards the sign of Jonah?

When we pray, God hears.


Sometimes we can think that we need to be 'doing well,' with the Lord to pray effectively. Now, it's true that when we're mired in sin our prayers will lack the clarity and passion that they will otherwise, but does Christ ignore the prayers of the sinful heart? of course not! He'd have to ignore every prayer if He ignored any prayer. Christ's name is the signature on our crumpled dirty cheques. If He hears Jonah in the fish, he hears you and me, no matter how far we feel from Him. Why? Because of the sign of Jonah, because He died and rose for us, Our sins are dealt with, we can pray freely.

All things for good, even fish.


Jonah doesn't pray to be saved from the fish. He's praying because he's been saved by the fish! Romans 8:28 reminds us that God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. So? So, when Jonah get's swallowed by a fish, he still knows that God hasn't forsaken him. And no matter where you end up, God is working it together for good, and you will again look upon His holy temple. This has to be tyre iron that holds up the bruised reed of our faith. Our faith goes beyond our circumstances. Why? Because of the sign of Jonah. If God didn't hold back His Son, how will He not also graciously give us all things that we need? Can you see the logic? God did the hard thing, He gave us Christ. Jesus died and rose, and now that means good things, in all circumstances, forever.

Salvation belongs to the Lord.


In some ways Jonah is just like Israel. Called to be a canal, but decides to be a puddle. He doesn't want those people getting saved, so he's off to Tarshish. But he realises that salvation isn't his to dole out as he pleases, it belongs to the Lord. It takes him a while to work out all the implications of that, chapter 4 stops rather than finishes. It's almost like Jonah turns to us and says 'and how about you...?' Do we share our faith with the confidence that salvation is the Lord's not ours? Do we take risks for the risen Christ as we step out and witness? When we grasp that salvation belongs to the Lord, we become liberal sowers of the seed, flinging it left and right, knowing it will find good soil. Why? You guessed it, because of the sign of Jonah! Because Jesus died and rose again, carried sins to the watery depths, so we can share our faith in confidence, knowing the results are in the hands of the sovereign Lord.