Matthew 12:40 "For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so I, the Son of Man, will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights."
Jesus is speaking to his favorite audience (the Pharisees) and is trying to point out to them how blind they are. He tells them that their wickedness tops that of any other generation and they will surely pay the price for it. They don't get it and they don't see that Jesus himself is the messiah-the one who was to come and save Israel and all the world. Jesus looks back to Jonah and explains to them just as Jonah was in the belly of a fish for three days, he too will be in the "heart of the earth" or dead for three days. Jonah was a foreshadowing of Jesus. Everything points to Jesus!
I love how so much of the Old Testament points to Jesus. The focal point of all history is Jesus. Even the story of Jonah reflects Jesus. Does my life and does my story reflect Jesus? Am I pointing to him? Am I telling others of his coming, his life, his death and his resurrection? Jonah was not knowingly foreshadowing the life of Jesus perhaps, but can I? What can I do today or say today to help others see Jesus?
Dear Jesus, help me tell your story to others today. Amen.
