Seemingly Little Details

Jonah 1:17

Some years back, while working at the prison, there was a call for assistance at the Tag Plant. Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. That was where we made license plates and road signs. When I arrived on the scene, I discovered that there had been an assault. The investigation was already underway and the inmates were being searched. As the line of inmates were filing by my position, I observed an odd detail. One of the inmates had red ink all over his arm. Something did not sit right with me, and I pulled him off to the side. Turned out that he was covering scratches on his arm that were defensive wounds from the guy that would later die from his injuries. It was a little detail that made a big difference in the case.

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“Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”

Jonah 1:17

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For children, this seems like a fun detail. For adults, this makes the story seem like a myth. This little detail seems to be just that, a little detail. It is not until later in the Bible that we learn this one verse makes a big difference.

This one little detail that was included in Jonah's story turns out to be a type of Jesus. No other than Jesus himself said so. I will get to that in a minute, but I do want to point out that what many people call impossible, fantasy, and try to use to discredit this book of the Bible, Jesus called a fact. The prophet Jonah was indeed swallowed by a giant fish, he did spend three days and three nights in the fish's belly, and he did get spit up on dry land alive to go preach. This is a true story!

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Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For 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 in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.”

Matthew 12:38-41

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Not only did Jesus confirm that Jonah was in the belly of the whale, or great fish, three days and three nights, but he also confirmed the rest of the story as well. Some people have tried to claim that there was no record of Nineveh turning to God. However, archeologists have discovered that there was a period in which Nineveh did become more monotheistic. That time just happens to coincide with the time Jonah was a prophet in Israel.

Even greater than the story of Jonah is the fact that Jesus used the story of Jonah as a lesson for how he would spend three days and three nights in the "heart of the earth". This was speaking of his death, burial, and resurrection. Jonah, a story that the Pharisees believed, was used to paint a picture of the Son of God and His redemptive work. Consider this:

God poured out His judgment on Jonah - Jonah 1:4-15

God poured out His judgment upon His Son - II Corinthians 5:21; Isaiah 53:4-6

Jonah's sacrifice brought peace and worship of God to the sailors - Jonah 1:15-16

Jesus's sacrifice brought peace and worship of God to us - Romans 5:1, 9

Jonah was three days and three nights buried below the sea - Jonah 1:17

Jesus was three days and three nights buried in the earth - I Corinthians 15:4; Luke 23:44-24:2

After 3 days and 3 nights Jonah was resurrected from the bottom of the sea - Jonah 2:10

After 3 days and 3 nights Jesus was resurrected from the grave - Luke 24:3-7

After Jonah's return from burial, salvation came to the gentiles who heard his message - Jonah 3

After Jesus's resurrection, salvation came to the gentiles who heard His message - Acts 13:47; 28:28

A little detail can reveal SO MUCH! Isn't it great that Jesus did not want us to have to figure this out on our own. There is no reason to guess because He pointed it out. This is often the case in the scriptures if we will just pay attention. We do not need to try to find a hidden meaning in every detail. However, when the Holy Spirit inspired a writer to point out those details, we need to pay attention.

Father, thank You for revealing so much of Your word to us. Help us to be diligent to search it out. May we always rely on Your Spirit for guidance as we study the scriptures. We ask that You open our eyes that we may see "wonderous things from Your law" (Psalm 119:18).