Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 1:17
The Story
Jonah was a prophet in the kingdom of Israel that was sent by God to the city of Nineveh to preach against it, but Jonah ran away. Instead of following God’s instructions, he went in the opposite direction.
While he was on a ship heading for Tarshish, a great storm came upon them, and Jonah knew it was the Lord. He told the crew to throw him overboard to calm the storm.
The crew reluctantly followed his instructions. The storm stopped, and the sea grew calm. Then the Lord sent a giant fish to swallow Jonah. He was in the belly of the fish for three days, praying to God.
The fish vomited Jonah onto the shore. Finally, Jonah chose to obey God and go to the city of Nineveh to preach against it.
The People of Nineveh repented and turned from their wicked ways. God did not destroy them, and Jonah was upset. Jonah had wanted the Ninevites to perish. It was why he fled. God reminded Jonah that Jonah’s prejudice does not limit his compassion. [1]
The Significance
In many ways, the story of Jonah mirrors that of Jesus. They both were called by God to save a people deserving of death. They both gave themselves up. Jonah spent three days in the belly of a large fish, and Jesus spent three days in the grave. But there is one significant difference: Jesus was willing, and Jonah was not.
Through Jesus’ life and death, he displayed the kind of love and compassion that’s willing to die for a people that rejected him: The love and compassion of God.
[1] Jonah 1-4