Introduction
There are many unknowns with the Book Jonah; for example, did Jonah die in the belly of the fish? Just what type of fish was it anyway? These unknowns have led to the Book of Jonah being one of the most criticized books in the Old Testament. Much of the criticism is centered around the historical accuracy of the book and the mentions of practices in it. R.C. Sproul responded to these criticisms with this statement,
[h]owever, none of these supposed inaccuracies presents a compelling reason for doubting the veracity of what is recorded ….”[1]
As R.C. Sproul said, no criticism provides a compelling reason to doubt the veracity of this book. Moreover, the text of Jonah is profoundly theological and Christological. The theme of repentance and forgiveness shows up in Jonah in a pronounced way.
Theological Themes in the Book of Jonah
Repentance
Traditionally, Jews read the book of Jonah on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) as a reminder to be repentant. R.C. Sproul explains it as follows
Jews are to follow the example of the pagan sailors and wicked Ninevites who respond with repentance to prophetic preaching.[2]
One of the pertinent questions the reader of Jonah should ask is, what is the relationship between divine justice and mercy shown in Jonah? The justice of God against sin and God’s mercy for those who repent is the book’s primary theological theme.
Unfulfilled prophecy
Another theological theme in Jonah is that of prophecy and its fulfillment. Deuteronomy 18:22 says,
when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.
(Deut 18:22, ESV)
Since the destruction of Nineveh did not happen as Jonah prophesied, does that make Jonah a false prophet? The answer is certainly not. God’s pronouncements of destruction have, in many places in scripture, been replaced with mercies. An example of this is the story of king Hezekiah, who was told by the prophet Isaiah that he would die, yet, when Hezekiah prayed, God granted him an additional 15 years of life and even sealed the promise by making the sundial go backward. (Isaiah 38)
Moreover, the Bible says, “[t]he soul who sins shall die,” (Eze 18:20, ESV) yet those who are repentant find eternal life in Jesus Christ. God’s pronouncements of judgment have always been conditional with God’s mercies for those sinners that repent. Christ came to show God’s justice and His mercy are not at odds. As the Apostle Paul explained, Christ has come to show that God is both “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Ro 3:26, ESV)
Jewish/Gentile Relations
Jonah was sent to non-Jewish people. Moreover, these people were the enemies of Israel. Israel and Assyria were at war, and Nineveh was an Assyrian city “situated on the eastern bank of the river Tigris.”[3] (See Maps below) The Assyrians were brutal in their attacks on Israel, and there was bitter hostility between the two nations. Jonah’s reluctance to preach to the Ninevites stemmed from a genuine personal desire to see them destroyed. Jonah knew that if the Ninevites repented, God would relent in the destruction. Jonah made it clear that he didn’t want to call the Ninevites to repentance because God would relent from their destruction. (Jonah 4:2).
Christology in Jonah
Jesus said,
An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Mt 12:39–41, ESV
There are several significant parallels between Jonah and Jesus.
- As Jesus pointed out, God had used Jonah’s time in the fish to point to Jesus and the tomb. Jonah was in the fish and Jesus in the tomb for three days and three nights.
- Jonah and Jesus were preachers of repentance. Jesus’ message was “[t]he time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mk 1:15, ESV).
- Jonah and Jesus were sent to preach to their enemies. John records that Jesus should have been among friends, but instead, Jesus was rejected. (John 1:11, ESV)
There are other similarities between the ministry of Jesus and Jonah; however, it is the ministry of Jesus that is greater. All of Jonah should be understood with a Christological lens.
Maps
Timeline
Wrapping it all up
Jesus is the subject of the book of Jonah. In the story of Jonah, there is a picture and archetype of Christ. Moreover, there is a comparison between Jonah, a human, that begrudgingly did what God told him to do, and Christ, the God-man, that willing did what God told him to do, even the giving of his own life. How much great is Jesus than Jonah … infinitely greater.
References
[1] R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 1563.
[2] R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 1562.
[3] Donald J. Wiseman, T. Desmond Alexander, and Bruce K. Waltke, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 26, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 108.
Bibliography
Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.
Wiseman, Donald J., T. Desmond Alexander, and Bruce K. Waltke. Obadiah, Jonah and Micah: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 26. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988.