SWALLOWED UP BY GOD

          Some feel driven to contend that the story of Jonah and the whale is simply an allegory or a parable.  But the words of our Lord concerning Jonah sound rather historical:  Just as Jonah was three days and three in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Mt.12:40).  For those who affirm the miracles of Jesus, and in particular His resurrection from the tomb, there is nothing hard to swallow about the story of Jonah and the whale.  For those who enjoy ex-ploring additional supportive evidence, there are various documentations of similar events occurring in more modern times.

          The story of Jonah has the hand of God all over it.  “The Lord hurled a great wind…” (1:4); “The Lord God appointed a plant” (4:6); “God appointed a worm” (4:7); and “God appointed a scorching east wind and the sun” (4:8).  Regarding the sea monster, “the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah (1:17).  Likewise, “the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land” (2:10).  THIS GREAT FISH WAS THE LORD’S DOING.  But why?  Why did God appoint this sea monster and what was its purpose? 

          God sent the sea monster to rescue Jonah.  For Jonah the whale became a lifeboat and a lifeline.  What at first seems to be a terrible tragedy and unimaginable calamity becomes Jonah’s salvation.  To borrow an expression from Luther, Jonah experiences “the mericiful wrath” of Jehovah God.  God also sent the great fish to rehabilitate Jonah.  Because Jonah had disobeyed, God gra-ciously enrolled him in rehab (a reform school of sorts).  Jonah’s classroom (the belly of the whale) was “totally dark, burning with digestive acids, slimy, filled with decomposed sea life, gurgly, and in constant motion”.  If the design of this special tutorial was to re-adjust Jonah’s focus, God hit the nail on the head.  Suddenly God has Jonah’s undivided attention! 

          Although real (historical), the story of Jonah nevertheless contains an element of the parabolic.  It’s not just about Jonah - - it is also about US.  “God chastens us for our own good” (Heb.12:10).  Some of us are going through hard times brought on by our own bad behavior and disobedience.  When we find ourselves down and out (swallowed up), it’s a good time to look upward and inward.  Maybe, just maybe, there’s a biblical explanation for our woes.  COULD IT BE THE CHASTENING OF OUR LOVING FATHER?
                                                                                                                                     Terry Siverd / Cortland Church of Christ