As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him.
Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea,
so that the boat was being swamped by waves;
There were parallels between this storm and the one that threatened Jonah when he tried to flee from God's command that he go and preach to Nineveh.
But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god (see Jonah 1:4-5).
There was a great storm leading to great fear on both boats, and in each case the prophetic figure slept and had to be awakened. Both were called to preach repentance. As a part of that mission they both willing sacrificed themselves. Jonah was willingly thrown from the boat and Jesus willing embraced the cross.
Yet there was a still greater dissimilarity that the common elements put into relief. Jesus was going to Gentile territory of his own accord because he desired to spread the good news of salvation. Jonah only preached to Nineveh because his other options had been eliminated. Ultimately, he was disappointed to see them repent at his preaching. Jesus, by contrast, was distressed at those who would not welcome his message.
How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! (see Matthew 23:37).
In the case of Jonah the storm he himself caused by his disobedience was stopped by his self-sacrifice. But in the case of Jesus a storm, blocking not his escape, but his way forward, was stopped by his word of command. Jonah's self-sacrifice was not entirely altruistic. The only other option seemed to be to take everyone else down with him. Still, he eventually made the choice that allowed God to put his mission back on track. In Jesus' case, the storm was not a result of any failure on his part. And he himself had no sin that needed to be accounted for by his self-sacrifice (see Hebrews 7:27). He was entirely free (see John 10:18), and chose freely to love us to the end (see John 13:1). Still today there is joy in heaven over even one sinner who repents (See Luke 15:7). This contrasts starkly with the lament of Jonah that Nineveh would not be destroyed.
However, in both cases the storm was calmed and the will of God was accomplished. For the one it was in spite of reluctance, for the other it was with complete cooperation and obedience. This experience might have been part of the frame of reference when Jesus mentioned that the only sign he would give to that generation was the sign of Jonah (see Matthew 12:38-42).
In the case of Jonah, it was God who calmed the seas once Jonah was removed from the boat. But in the case of Jesus, it was he himself who rebuked the storm, as he had rebuked demonic spirits in the past, and caused the storm to cease. Truly, there was something greater than Jonah in their midst. Nineveh repented even at the preaching of a reluctant prophet like Jonah. And yet we often seem content to perish while Jesus is so close at hand and ready and willing to deliver us. Sometimes it seems like we would rather complain and go down with the ship than actually humble ourselves and ask Jesus to save us. Ultimately salvation is something only Jesus can give. Let's turn to him now, confident that it is for this purpose that he came.
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The idea to talk about the parallels came from the Letters From Home Podcast. Ideas for specific parallels came from an article on the Desiring God Community Church website.
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