Luke 11 : 29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. 32 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 one greater than Jonah is here.” NIV
In these verses we find Jesus mixing together three different yet related messages into this prophecy.
These Three Components Are . . .
A bold declaration regarding his own status as a prophet, stating that he, (Jesus) had more wisdom than Solomon, and greater prophetic influence than Jonah.
He alludes to the hope embodied in the repentance of the Ninevites. They avoided the doom of Jonah's prophecies by changing their ways.
He says that the only sign given to that generation was the “sign of Jonah”.
The Sign of Jonah
What, you may ask is this “sign of Jonah”? Some have interpreted this as a prophecy of his impending death, entombment for 3 days, and resurrection. This reference to Jonah would then presumably point to the story of Jonah being swallowed by a great fish for 3 days, and then emerging unscathed to deliver his prophecies to the Ninevites. There is a serious problem with this interpretation. It is not what Jesus said about Jonah's accomplishments. Rather, his focus was on Jonah as a sign to the Ninevites, what he achieved as an actual prophet. In this we find much deeper meaning to his cryptic reference, “sign of Jonah”.
What did Jonah Accomplish?
To find that meaning we need to dig deeper into the history of Jonah. What did Jonah accomplish? The answer is not just escaping from a great fish's belly. That is no doubt a mythic / legendary part of Jonah's story, not of an actual historic nature. Besides, this whole fish story was not even the point of Jonah's chronicle. He was sent on a mission, and that's where the important part of the narrative is found. We uncover a significant clue in verse 32 of the above passage. In this verse Jesus tells us that the Ninevites “… repented at the preaching of Jonah …” So, the answer is that Jonah was successful at changing the ways of the populace to which he presented his prophecy. In other words Jonah saved the Ninevites from their doom, by leading them to repentance. When Jesus refers to the “sign of Jonah”, he is making the comparison between the impact of Jonah as a prophet, and his own impact as a prophet. Thus, the “sign of Jonah” is our one opportunity to be saved from the doom of Armageddon. It never had anything to do with a comparison between three days in a fish, and three days in a tomb.
Bronze lion from Nineveh (Public domain image)
So, what can we do about this?
The solution is amazingly simple, and can be broken down into a 3 step method…
The First Step is to doubt the impending doom of Armageddon. Just as belief has the power to transform reality, doubt has the power to disable transformation. If we continue to believe without doubt in the prophecies of doom, we will transform our reality into this doom. Conversely if we cease to believe in the "end times", then we'll render inoperative the transformative powers which would contribute to bringing the tribulations about. By sowing the seeds of doubt, we can begin the process of saving ourselves from Armageddon. However, if this strategy is to work, this doubt must be widespread and pervasive. It must be felt far and wide, in order to have enough impact. Therefore, I would encourage anyone who reads this article to tell as many others as can be told, about the concepts dealt with herein.
Spread the word; "Doubt the end is near."
Doubt it with a vengeance!
Doubt it with every breath!
Doubt it when you eat!
Doubt it when you pray!
And if you can manage it, even Doubt it when you sleep!
If enough of humanity can collectively doubt Armageddon, then together we can take the first step toward fulfilling the sign of Jonah, and avoid cataclysm. But this doubt is not enough by itself. It's merely the first step in the three-step approach.
