Jesus in Jonah
What are the Christological parallels in Jonah?
That’s a wrap
After eight posts on Jonah, what shall we say? We made it! If you’ve missed any of them, you can find them in the archive.
A “prophet-able” lesson
Jonah isn’t the greatest example of biblical character.
He runs from God’s directions.
He bemoans the salvation of his enemies.
He blames God for his discomfort in the sun, after the plant dies.
Yet, Jonah comes through in some big ways:
He offers himself to be thrown overboard to his (near-)certain death.
He praises God in the belly of the giant fish.
He ultimately delivers God’s message to the Assyrians.
That’s a lot like us.
In many ways, we do God’s bidding. In others, we fail miserably. It is a tale as old as time… literally. In fact, it is the tale. With few exceptions, most of the biblical characters fail God. Adam & Eve, the Judges of Israel, King Saul, King David, the split kingdoms, the disciples, and even Abraham and Moses fail to meet God’s standard of righteousness.
Who does meet it? God Himself, in Jesus of Nazareth. (also, Enoch was taken to heaven without death, and Elijah was carried in chariots of fire. So, while they are not holy, they receive honorable mention here.)
So, don’t beat yourself up for your failures. The story of Jonah shows God’s grace not only to the Assyrians but also to Jonah in his disobedience and whining. The story offers us a chronological preview of the salvation story to come.
Christological parallels
With the Gospel in mind, there are a lot of similarities here, right?
The God who controls the seas against Jonah is embodied in Christ Jesus, who tells the seas to calm.
Jonah is thrown into the water to near-certain death, just as Peter steps out onto the water in faith.
Both Jonah and Jesus (prophet and Christ) are sleeping during a horrendous storm.
Both spend 3 days in the belly of a fish/death, which serves as salvation for the self (Jonah) and the world (Christ).
Both proclaim a message of God to Gentiles, which ultimately brings repentance and relenting of God’s wrath.
Both offer themselves as a sacrifice to save others.
Both declare God’s relenting wrath and unbounded grace.
Perhaps most importantly, the obedience of both brings glory to God.
Jonah is not a Jesus character, but we can see God working similarly in both. There are certain characteristics common across God’s elect.
Which characteristics do you show?
It’s not enough to be good at some and not all. For personal salvation, you’re good, but for the glory of God, let’s press on toward the prize.
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, all who are mature, let’s have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that to you as well; however, let’s keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.
Philippians 3:14-16, NASB
Sure, we all could do better. More prayer, more trust, more evangelism, more charity. It is ok for the Holy Spirit to convict us. It’s not ok to let the devil use that conviction to mire us in self-disappointment. Immediately before 👆️ verse, Paul tells us,
Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
Phillippians 3:13
Even Paul did not attend the standard. That’s the point! We won’t attain it, but let’s encourage each other to try. Let’s see what the Spirit can do through us, together.
Summary
I hope our walkthrough of Jonah has been an encouragement. I would love to hear feedback. Just reply to this email and let me know your thoughts on the series. Did you like the common thread? Would you prefer more scattershot, disconnected topics that are less dependent on the context of previous messages? Your feedback helps make this better for you and me. Thanks in advance for letting me know!
Prayer
“Lord Jesus, Jonah represents us all, to some degree. Yet, Jonah was still a valuable tool for Your message. We pray that we may also be valuable tools for Your message. Strengthen us in our faith, endurance, and obedience. Make it our life’s passion to pursue Your calling on our lives. All to Your endless glory. Amen”