04.22. SHADOW: Jonah- Death, Burial, and Resurrectio

SHADOW: Jonah- Death, Burial and Resurrection Matthew 12:38-41 AUDIO http://www.exposingtheword.com/SHADOWS/MP3s%20Shadows/21%20Shadow-Jonah.mp3

    The Old Testament spoke very infrequently of the resurrection from the dead. This might surprise you but the word resurrection is NOT found in the OT KJV. Yes, we have a couple of instances of a resurrection with the child that Elijah raised (1 Kings 17:17-24 ), and the young man that was thrown on Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:21 ) that was raised from the dead and chased his friends that threw him in the cave. Job also declare strongly his belief in the resurrection in Job 19:25-26 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. We also know that Daniel taught of the resurrection (Daniel 12:2-3 ;Daniel 12:13) and the psalmist spoke of it. Still the teachings of the resurrection was not fleshed out the way that it would be with the coming of the Lord Jesus. For proof of this we need not look any farther than Matthew 22:23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him... They were attempting to trip Jesus up by asking who’s wife the woman would be who had married seven brothers. Our foreshadow today is one that is about as clear as any in the Bible. Lets look at the words of Jesus that clearly link Jonah as a type of Christ. Matthew 12:38-42 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

I- Sign of Jonah:

    The setting of the text is that Jesus had just healed a man who was possessed, blind, and unable to speak. Because of this, He was accused by the Pharisees of doing it by the power of the devil. He then calls them a generation of vipers or snakes. Jesus tells them that they would not be given a sign except the sign of Jonah. Luke 11:30 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. So, we need to ask just what was the sign of Jonah. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jonah and the whale, as it is often called. So lets dig right in and see what God has for us today. Let me read us a few excerpts of the story from the book of Jonah. Jonah 1:1-3 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. God sends a great storm that threatened to wreck the ship and kill all on board. Jonah is identified by God as being the cause of the problem. Jonah 1:15-17 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows. 17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly, Jonah 2:10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. This will suffice for what we need to look at now. From this I wish us to notice three things. Death, as symbolized by Jonah being cast into the sea and going to the bottom. Second, burial by the obvious picture of the grave at the bottom of the sea. And last, resurrection with him being deposited from the water grave and death back on the shore. This is a clear type of the death burial and resurrection of Christ.

II- Death:

     I have thought about this a lot in the last few days. You might ask how can Jonah be a type of death when he did not die. Well, may I make a suggestion that has been playing in my heart with a question? When someone died does this mean they cease to exist. Well the obvious answer is no. We know that the part of man that is like God is that man is an eternal being. We all will live on past this life either in heaven or hell. I think we all can agree on this. Next would you agree that when Jonah went to the bottom of the sea he ceased to live on the earth and in fact pictures for us death in that he was no long alive in the realm where the sailors were on the ship. There are some that teach that Jesus never died, that He only passed out. May I say that Jesus died in the physical realm as dead as anyone who has been dead for a hundred years. Still Jesus lived on in the spiritual realm because we all have understood that the soul never dies.

Notice with me a couple of verses that almost all Bible scholars interpret as meaning that during the time Jesus body lay in the grave that He went to hades or hell. Ephesians 4:8-9 HCSB For it says: When He ascended on high, He took prisoners into captivity; He gave gifts to people. 9 But what does "He ascended" mean except that He descended to the lower parts of the earth? So just as Jonah was alive while dead to earth Christ also was. Matthew 27:45-50 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. 48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. Jesus is dead...

III- Burial:

    Jonah 1:15-17 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea... The way it would be said in the pirate movies is they made him walk the plank. They knew that they were giving him a water burial when the cast him over. Notice with me Jonah 2:5-7 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. 6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. 7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. He went to the bottom of the ocean. Seaweed wrapped around his head and he fell to the bottom where human life is impossible to sustain in this setting. He was buried. Remember, after Jesus died, the burial He received. Matthew 27:57-60 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: 58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. 59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. The body of Jesus was deposited into the earth as the body of Jonah was deposited into the water. He was place in the tomb like the foreshadow of Jonah foretold.

IV- Resurrection:

    Jonah did some might big repenting and praying from the bottom of the grave would you not say. Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly...

    Well after a period of time, that I submit to you was planned by God as a picture of Christ, Jonah is brought back to the land of the living. Jonah 2:10 And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. I remember a few times that I have been outside the US and felt like kissing the ground when I returned. Also, a few deep sea fishing expeditions that made you glad to have dirt under you feet. I bet Jonah was glad to be first alive, second to be out of his hotel accommodations for the last few days. He was given new life again. Now this certainly pictures for us the resurrection of Christ. Remember Jesus said, Matt 12: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 28:1-7 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead... Beloved Jesus rose the third day. He’s alive, He’s alive.

V- The Gospel Picture:

    This great story of the prophet of God and his journey from death to life pictures for us the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. I submit that this is a glorious picture of the gospel. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: Have you received the One as Savior that said concerning Himself in Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.