Jonah and the Great Fish
One of the greatest miracles in the Bible was when God prepared a great fish (not a whale) to swallow the prophet Jonah for 3 days and 3 nights, and then to spit him up on the shore to go and preach to Nineveh. (Jonah 1:17) I wonder how many people really believe that this is a miracle, instead of just a story with a lesson? I think it might shock us to know how many people who say they believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, who do not really believe this story. Therefore, I want to show all of us why we should all believe this account of Jonah, if we believe in Jesus.
The reason for believing in Jonah is very simple. Jesus believed in Jonah and the great fish. He used it as a sign of His death, burial, and resurrection from the grave after three days like Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days. (Matthew 12:39-41). Jesus also told them that the men of Nineveh repented because of his preaching, so this shows Jesus believed the whole Biblical account, since He was willing to proclaim essential truths for our salvation using the life of Jonah. I suppose that means that if you still does not believe in Jonah after reading Matthew 12 and the quotes in Luke 11:29-32, too, that you do not believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. The reason I can say that with confidence is that the Bible is the Word of God. It does not just contain truths, so that we pick out what we like and leave what we don't like. It is either absolute, or it is obsolete.
Think about it. Is Jonah being in a great fish for 3 days too hard for the Creator of the universe? It was very simple for God to do that. It was very simple for God to become a man in the Person of Jesus Christ, the God/Man. Just because we can't fully understand how something is possible doesn't mean it is not reality and we shouldn't believe it. In fact, Jesus told Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29) That gets to the very heart of faith, doesn't it?
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jonah 2-4.
The reason for believing in Jonah is very simple. Jesus believed in Jonah and the great fish. He used it as a sign of His death, burial, and resurrection from the grave after three days like Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days. (Matthew 12:39-41). Jesus also told them that the men of Nineveh repented because of his preaching, so this shows Jesus believed the whole Biblical account, since He was willing to proclaim essential truths for our salvation using the life of Jonah. I suppose that means that if you still does not believe in Jonah after reading Matthew 12 and the quotes in Luke 11:29-32, too, that you do not believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. The reason I can say that with confidence is that the Bible is the Word of God. It does not just contain truths, so that we pick out what we like and leave what we don't like. It is either absolute, or it is obsolete.
Think about it. Is Jonah being in a great fish for 3 days too hard for the Creator of the universe? It was very simple for God to do that. It was very simple for God to become a man in the Person of Jesus Christ, the God/Man. Just because we can't fully understand how something is possible doesn't mean it is not reality and we shouldn't believe it. In fact, Jesus told Thomas, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (John 20:29) That gets to the very heart of faith, doesn't it?
Tomorrow, I intend to read Jonah 2-4.