Symbols, Signs, Types, Parables, Allegories, Copies, and Shadows
LOOK FOR ONLY ONE SIGN: THE SIGN OF JONAH
STUDY TIP: See this link for the full story of Jonah.
The bible gives us a clue about the sign that people should look for in these scriptures:
Matthew 16:1-4 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.
COMMENTARY: Jesus called pharisees an evil and adulterous generation because they tested him to see if he could prove that he was the messiah by giving them a sign that they could see. This seems like a reasonable request until we recognize that spiritual truths cannot be proven by physical evidence because the flesh (i.e. natural things) and spirit are opposed to each other.
We know that the pharisees were off base when they said they were looking for a sign from heaven. For them, heaven was a physical place in the sky. They didn’t understand that heaven is a spiritual place in the heart of New Covenant disciples.
STUDY TIP: See this link for understanding of heaven.
The pharisees were evil, therefore, because they were focused on physical signs that could be seen instead of spiritual signs which are matters of faith which cannot be seen. It can be said, therefore, that religious people who look for physical evidence of God’s power and not his spiritual power are also evil in God’s eyes.
The problem for pharisees is that they have eyes to see what can be seen physically, but do not have eyes to see spiritual things. This describes the condition of people who have religion but not faith.
The need for physical evidence of some kind is still very much at work in religion today. Super-spiritual people love to find evidence of God in everyday matters. They see coincidences with good outcomes and material blessings of all kinds as evidence that God has given them favor that allows them to see him at work (whether for good or ill) in their lives and in the lives of others. They are, in Jesus’ words, are evil and adulterous.
STUDY TIP: Read more about signs in Signs, Wonders and Miracles.
Jesus’ rebuke to the pharisees still applies to modern day pharisees (i.e. religious leaders) today. And his suggestion that they look only for the sign of Jonah also still applies today. The problem for pharisees in all generations is that they do not understand the symbolism of the sign of Jonah. The mistake they make is to look for physical signs that can be observed with their natural eyes when they should be looking for spiritual signs with the spiritual eyes and ears of their hearts. What that means, of course, is that they must listen for God’s spoken voice to reveal the spiritual meanings of bible stories, events and characters to their hearts.
Matthew 12:38-43 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 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; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
COMMENTARY: The story of Jonah is very complicated. Understanding begins by recognizing the following symbolism: 1. Jonah was a prophet who was reluctant to go to Nineveh, which was a pagan city. 2 The big fish (i.e., whale) that swallowed him symbolically represents religion. 3. Water symbolizes religion. What we have, therefore, is the story of a true prophet sent by God to speak God’s words to people who could not hear God’s voice because they had hard hearts. 4. Three days represents an indeterminate period of death while addicted to religion after which time resurrection to new life occurs.
The sign of Jonah, therefore, is the same as the sign of Jesus spending three days in the grave (i.e., heart of the earth) after which he was resurrected to new life. Jonah and Jesus both were overcome by religious enemies for a period of time during which they were unable to continue their ministry functions. After God delivered them from religion and brought them to life again, they were able to continue with their ministries. This parable says that everyone will spend some time encumbered by religion to the point of ineffectiveness but will eventually be resurrected for ministry.