THE SIGN OF JONAH

He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." -Matthew 12:39-40

What is the sign of Jonah? Maybe it’s the fact that he was in the belly of the fish, for three days and nights, and then one day, some Ninevite fishermen were standing at the shore, and up comes this giant fish, ejecting from its mouth the sea-weed covered, pale-skinned (bleached from digestive juices) prophet Jonah, as though back from death - That’s a sign!

We can also see that, in one sense, Jesus was thrown overboard, as well. He was thrown overboard for our sins. But when the people threw Jesus overboard they were throwing an innocent man, and the Son of God overboard! In Jonah’s case the guilty was thrown overboard to save the innocent. But with Jesus, the innocent was thrown overboard to save the guilty.

You don't have to be a Jonah because Jesus took that role for three days and three nights. You don’t have to throw yourself overboard, you don’t have to be tossed around by this life’s stormy sea. You can put your trust in the one who was thrown overboard for you!

You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19

Jesus, bearing our iniquities, was hurled "into the depths of the sea," so to speak. When God throws all your iniquities overboard, the only way you’ll ever go too is if you’re still attached to them when they go overboard! The disconnection process begins with repentance. Turn from your sins and you own plans, and turn to God, and his plans. When this happens you'll have such a sense of freedom from guilt, sin and death, that you'll want to go overboard for the Lord Jesus!