Dear Family and Friends,

Rather than preparing our hearts for Christmas with passages from Jesus’ birth, let’s look at two curious claims by Jesus about Jesus.

“Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, ‘Teacher [Jesus], we want to see a sign from you.’ (A sign is something typically miraculous, given to confirm, corroborate or authenticate what a person is claiming.)

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.’”  Matthew 12:38-40 NIV

Were you ever curious about Jesus’ three nights in the tomb?

The Jews counted any part of a day as a full day. So, late Good Friday, all day Sabbath Saturday and early Easter Sunday do add up to three days.

But the nights of Good Friday and Sabbath Saturday do not add up to three nights.

Apparently we’re not the only curious ones. Many scholars have studied the subject. Their opinions range from – the events of Good Friday actually occurred on a Thursday to Jesus using an idiom, a way of saying three days.

I found no clear consensus on the matter except for this:

Let’s not allow this curious remark to detract us from holding onto the truthfulness of God’s word.

And let’s not lose sight of the main message behind what Jesus said – that He was the Sign of the Prophet Jonah.

Which brings us back to the rest of our passage.

“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 12:41 NIV

To the Pharisees, Jonah’s story was one of repentance and God’s mercy. (See Jonah 3)

Here we have Jesus accusing the current generation of not doing what the Ninevites did – repent. And more importantly, that He was the sign of something greater than Jonah.

During this encounter, Jesus used the three days and nights analogy to compare Himself to Jonah. But that wasn’t His only similarity to Jonah.

When we compare Jonah’s fishing story (Jonah 1) to Jesus and the disciples in a storm (Mark 4:35-39), we find that:

Both Jesus and Jonah were in a boat overtaken by a storm. Both slept through the storm and had to be awakened.

Both the sailors and disciples (seasoned sailors) were frightened by the storm.

Both storms were miraculously calmed which terrified the sailors and disciples even more.

Jonah said the way to calm the storm was to sacrifice him. “Pick me up and throw me into the sea, and it will become calm.”  ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Matthew 20:28 NIV

But there is one significant aspect where their stories differ. Jonah did not go to Nineveh for the same reason Jesus came to earth.

Jonah went to Nineveh out of obedience, after being asked twice.

“Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.’ Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh.”  Jonah 3:1-3

On the other hand, Jesus, “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”  Philippians 2:7-8 NIV

Dwell upon this passage for a moment. It’s about Christmas and Easter.

Would you agree that we tend to focus more spiritual attention to Easter than Christmas?

Let’s not forget that the journey to the cross did not begin on the Friday of Passion Week. It began on Christmas Day.

Christmas is just as much the reason for our restoration and salvation as is Easter.

In preparation for Christmas Day, Jesus was already thinking, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  John 15:23 NIV

Yes, Jesus came out of obedience to the Father. But His motivation was love for His Father and for us. This same love took Him to the cross.

You may be wondering, what’s the big deal? After a bit of convincing, Jonah obeyed the Lord. Are we not good as long as we obey?

In Jonah 4, after God relented from destroying Nineveh, we find Jonah questioning God. He was angry with God for what he considered unjust mercy.

Jonah may have saved Nineveh, but he was unfulfilled. Preaching to the Ninevites was a burden because he obeyed God for selfish purposes.

Obeying the will of God doesn’t have to be hard like it was for Jonah. We shouldn’t feel like we’re fulfilling a duty or obligation.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”  1 John 5:3 ESV

Acts of obedience should feel like acts of love, because they are. Our obedience should be an overflow of our love for Jesus, an expression of our gratitude.

When Jesus was on the cross, He was thrown into the ultimate storm. Washing over Him were countless waves of sin and death – meant for us. He cried to the Father, “why have you forsaken me?” – on our behalf.

The storm wasn’t calmed – not until He was swept away. Or so satan thought…

As we go through life, let’s remember that we will never have to face that same storm, cry that same cry, die that same death – all because He came.

And because we know Jesus did not abandon us in that storm some two thousand years ago, we can live life confident that He will not abandon us in the much smaller storms we experience today.

My friends, when our hearts are filled with gratitude, love-driven obedience will become easier done than said.

In love always,