Reading... Jonah

"The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah

was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."

Jonah 1:17

From the Old Testament, after Psalms, Jonah is probably the book that had the greatest influence on early Christians - which isn't what you'd expect, right?

Early Christian art, in the catacombs and so on, really frequently featured images of Jonah in the belly of the fish.
   
And that's fitting, since when people asked him for a miracle to prove who he was, Jesus told them he would only give them "the sign of Jonah".

But what is the sign of Jonah?

Jonah goes on a boat, where what God does to him inspires the crew and fellow passengers to believe. Jonah is, of course, swallowed by the fish, where he prays words that are heartbreaking but full of faith. Jonah's "sign" in the city of Nineveh brings the whole city and even the king to repentance.

And then Jonah is left alone, frustrated and discontented, and God continues to bear with him and talk to him.

In the end, it's not certain that Jonah actually gets it. That makes it all the more incredible that "the sign of Jonah" transforms other people's lives and is continued and completed in Christ. Because somehow in the life of this flawed man, God's incredible love shines through.

But don't take my word for it. Dig into the book yourself (it's not long, and is worth a couple re-reads) and come to your own conclusion: what is Jesus' "sign of Jonah"?

3 questions to consider when reading Jonah:
    1. How is God's righteousness shown here?
    2. How is God's mercy shown here?
    3. How does God show Jonah good news and how does he respond?

Happy reading!