A fascinating Bible story is found in the book of Jonah. The proud prophet Jonah ran in the opposite direction than God sent him. His humbling redirection came from inside a huge fish. (See Jonah chapters 1 and 2.)
Jesus’ words in the New Testament help us see that the miracle of Jonah’s being saved from the fish connects to the Easter story. “For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.” Luke chapter 11, verse 30
The sign Jesus speaks of is Jonah spending three days and three nights inside the stomach of a giant fish before God rescues Him. Finally, Jonah brought the Ninevites God’s message. One might dismiss Jonah’s story as fiction, except that Jesus spoke of Jonah as a historical person as does the author of the Old Testament book of 2 Kings. The sign that links Jesus and Jonah is three days and nights in a fish’s belly for the prophet and three days and nights in the grave for the Son of Man and Savior of the world.
There are many prophecies about Jesus’ death, burial, and coming back to life. The Jonah/Jesus link stands out because of the wondrous work of God in both instances. God saved Jonah’s life by sending the fish to swallow him, then made the fish spit him out on dry land. God saves our lives by Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Lord spent three days and nights buried in a tomb. He rose again to reconcile us to God.
At Easter, we celebrate what Jesus did for everyone because of His love for us. This was God’s plan for the saving of anyone who will believe in Jesus. He gave His life to set us free once for all from our sin. We sing, “Joy to the world, He is risen. Hallelujah!”
Click below to hear the Easter Song!
A Goldilocks Life 