The phrase “sign of Jonah” was used by Jesus as a typological metaphor for His future crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Jesus responded with this expression when the Pharisees demanded miraculous proof that He was indeed the Messiah. Despite Jesus curing a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute, the Pharisees remained skeptical of His claims. Shortly after they accused Jesus of driving out demons by the power of Satan, they said, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a 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. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:38–41).
To fully appreciate Jesus’ response, we must refer to the Old Testament book of Jonah. In its first chapter, God commands the prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh and warn its people of impending destruction due to their wickedness. Jonah, however, disobediently fled towards Tarshish by boat. The Lord sent a severe storm, causing the crew to fear for their lives. Jonah was eventually thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish, where he remained for “three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:15–17). After this period, the Lord commanded the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land (Jonah 2:10).
Jesus referred to this three-day period when speaking of the sign of Jonah. Despite having performed numerous miracles witnessed by many, including healing a demon-possessed, deaf man, the Pharisees accused Jesus of acting through Satan’s power. Recognizing their hardened hearts, Jesus refused to offer further proof of His identity. However, He mentioned one final sign—His resurrection from the dead, which would be their last opportunity to believe.
Jesus’ comparison of the Pharisees with the people of Nineveh is significant. The Ninevites repented after hearing Jonah’s call (Jonah 3:4–10), while the Pharisees remained unbelieving despite witnessing Jesus’ miracles. Jesus implied that the Pharisees were more culpable for their unbelief, as the Ninevites, who received far less evidence, repented. Notably, from the time of Jonah’s preaching, Nineveh had 40 days to repent and did so, sparing their city from destruction. In contrast, from Jesus’ time of preaching, Jerusalem had 40 years but did not repent, leading to its destruction.
The phrase “three days and three nights” need not indicate a literal 72-hour period. According to Hebrew reckoning, it could refer to any part of three days. Jesus likely died on a Friday (Mark 15:42) around 3:00 PM (Matthew 27:46). He remained dead all of Saturday and rose early on Sunday morning. Attempts to place Jesus’ death on Wednesday to fit a literal 72-hour period are unnecessary once considering the Hebrew method of counting each day from sundown.
In the Bible, God often used signs (or miracles) to authenticate His messengers. For instance, He gave Moses miraculous signs to prove his divine appointment (Exodus 4:5–9; 7:8–10; 19–20) and sent fire on Elijah’s altar to demonstrate that the God of Israel was the true God (1 Kings 18:36–39). Jesus performed many miracles to show His power over nature (Matthew 4:23; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 8:22–24; John 6:16–24). The “sign of Jonah” would be Jesus’ greatest miracle—His resurrection from the dead. This resurrection was God’s ultimate sign that Jesus was Israel’s long-awaited Messiah (Acts 2:23–32), confirming His divine nature (Romans 1:3–4).
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