"The Sign of Jonah"

One day while Jesus was here on earth, the religious leaders asked Him for a sign so they too could believe, as to test Him. Jesus told them that the only sign that would be given them is the sign of Jonah. He also addressed the crowds in a parable with the same.

I looked up all the references in the four gospels about Jesus saying “the sign of Jonah”.

Here are the references in the gospels:

1. Matthew 12:39

But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;

2. Matthew 16:4

An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.

3. Luke 11:29

[ The Sign of Jonah ] As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah.

4. Luke 11:30

For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

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I was curious about why “the sign of Jonah” so I studied the book of Jonah and discovered a wealth of information in that very small book of four chapters, three pages in the Bible. (Book of Jonah)

1. Even though Jonah disobeyed and tried to hide from God, God still accomplished His will; Jonah went to Nineveh and said to them what God wanted Him to say.
2. Because of God’s mighty hand, ALL the people on the ship found the one true God and that their gods were nothing.
3. They also realized that the Lord does as He pleases. (Jonah 1:14)
4. From so very few words said by Jonah to the Ninevites (“Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”), they ALL repented, even the beasts, herds, and flocks. This in itself is amazing to me and seems that God had a hand in this too.
5. Jonah was mad because God had compassion on them and did not destroy them.

There is much more that I gleaned in my studies, but before I go on, I want to say something about Jonah being mad at God.

Ever since I had the vision or experience of Jesus and the Holy Spirit leaving me and me ending up in a God forsaken lonely place, (see my post, "My beliefs have changed" , I have been scouring the Bible to find out what happens to all those who are not “chosen” and what is this place called “hell” and is it really everlasting? I have expressed to several Christians my new belief that all of us will be in God’s new kingdom, and have gotten a response from several that “it wouldn’t be fair”. What is fair? Isn't God sovereign and righteous? He does what He wishes.

Now, let me go on.

Jonah’s prayer was actually taken from other scriptures. Here are some things I found:

Jeremiah 9:7  read what is said, leading up to this verse.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

⁷ Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts,

“Behold, I will refine them and assay them;
For what else can I do

Jeremiah 9:24

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

²⁴ but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving kindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 9:25-26

Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

²⁵ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised; ²⁶ Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.

Isaiah 40:5

Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

⁵ and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together:
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

There is much more that I could say about my studies of Jonah but I think I will just end this with Jonah 4:10&11:

Jonah 4:10-11

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

¹⁰ Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which ^[a]came up overnight and perished ^[b]overnight. ¹¹ Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

Does not the reference of the Ninevites not knowing the difference between their right and left hand sound familiar? What did Jesus say while on the cross?

Luke 23:34

New King James Version (NKJV)

³⁴ Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”^[