Jonah as a type of Christ

Most of us know that Jonah’s three days in the belly of the whale are a type of Christ’s three days in the tomb, but there are other ways that he was a type of Christ, so I want to place that incident we know into context with these other types:

--Jonah was asleep in a boat in a violent storm, echoing an incident in Christ’s life.

--While on the boat in the storm he was willing to sacrifice himself so that the other passengers would live.

--Jonah’s self-sacrifice did save his companions on the boat.  Jesus’s self-sacrifice has saved us.  

--The efficacy of Jonah’s sacrifice led to his companions fearing God, offering their own sacrifices and making vows.  Jesus’ sacrifice is to lead to us believing in the God, making our own sacrifice of a broken heart and contrite spirit, and making covenants in baptism and in the temple.

--Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days, just as Christ’s body was in the tomb.

--Jonah was vomited up by the whale.  Christ was “vomited up” by death, in a manner of speaking, and was resurrected and glorified.

--Jonah went to preach to other children of God in a foreign land who were wicked, just like Christ went to preach to other sheep that were part of His fold and who had become wicked.

--Jonah’s brief ministry in Ninevah was startlingly successful, just as Jesus’s brief ministry in America was startlingly successful.