2) The book of Jonah announces the coming of Jesus Christ – Jonah is a foreshadowing of Jesus' coming. The Lord himself tells us this very clearly in the Gospel.
When asked by the Jews to give them a sign that would openly reveal him as the Messiah, he replied, according to Matthew: "No sign will be given to this generation except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Mt 12:39f).
Luke's version of Jesus' words is simpler: "This generation [...] seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation" (Lk 11:29f). We see two elements in both texts: the Son of Man himself, Christ, the one sent by God, is the sign. The Paschal Mystery points to Jesus as the Son of Man; he is the sign in and through the Paschal Mystery.
In the Old Testament account, this mystery of Jesus shines through very clearly.
In the first chapter of the book of Jonah, there is mention of a threefold descent of the prophet: he descends to the port of Joppa; he descends into the ship; and in the ship he puts himself in the most hidden place. In his case, however, this threefold descent is an attempted escape from God. Jesus is the one who descends out of love, not to flee, but to reach the Nineveh of the world: he descends from his divinity into the poverty of the flesh, of being a creature with all its miseries and sufferings; he descends into the simplicity of the carpenter's son, and he descends into the night of the cross, and finally even into the night of Sheol, the world of the dead. In doing so, he goes before us on the path of descent, far from our false glory as kings; the path of penance, which is the path to our own truth: the path of conversion, the path that leads us away from Adam's pride, from wanting to be God, towards the humility of Jesus who is God and who strips himself of his glory for us (Phil 2:1-10). Like Jonah, Jesus sleeps in the boat while the storm rages. In a certain sense, in the experience of the cross, he allows himself to be thrown into the sea and thus calms the storm. The rabbis interpreted Jonah's words, "Throw me into the sea," as the prophet's offering of himself in order to save Israel: he was afraid of the conversion of the pagans and Israel's rejection of the faith, and for this reason, they say, he wanted to be thrown into the sea. The prophet saves by putting himself in the place of others. Sacrifice saves. This rabbinical exegesis became truth in Jesus.
[Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Ratzinger, Lectio in s. Maria in Traspontina, 24 January 2003; in "30Giorni" February 2003]
Dialogo e Solstizio
Jul 13, 2025
Written by
don Giuseppe Nespeca
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Jonah announces the coming of Jesus
don Giuseppe Nespeca
Giuseppe Nespeca è architetto e sacerdote. Cultore della Sacra scrittura è autore della raccolta "Due Fuochi due Vie - Religione e Fede, Vangeli e Tao"; coautore del libro "Dialogo e Solstizio".
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Simon, a Pharisee and rich 'notable' of the city, holds a banquet in his house in honour of Jesus. Unexpectedly from the back of the room enters a guest who was neither invited nor expected […] (Pope Benedict)
Simone, fariseo e ricco “notabile” della città, tiene in casa sua un banchetto in onore di Gesù. Inaspettatamente dal fondo della sala entra un’ospite non invitata né prevista […] (Papa Benedetto)
«The Russian mystics of the first centuries of the Church gave advice to their disciples, the young monks: in the moment of spiritual turmoil take refuge under the mantle of the holy Mother of God». Then «the West took this advice and made the first Marian antiphon “Sub tuum Praesidium”: under your cloak, in your custody, O Mother, we are sure there» (Pope Francis)
«I mistici russi dei primi secoli della Chiesa davano un consiglio ai loro discepoli, i giovani monaci: nel momento delle turbolenze spirituali rifugiatevi sotto il manto della santa Madre di Dio». Poi «l’occidente ha preso questo consiglio e ha fatto la prima antifona mariana “Sub tuum praesidium”: sotto il tuo mantello, sotto la tua custodia, o Madre, lì siamo sicuri» (Papa Francesco)
The Cross of Jesus is our one true hope! That is why the Church “exalts” the Holy Cross, and why we Christians bless ourselves with the sign of the cross. That is, we don’t exalt crosses, but the glorious Cross of Christ, the sign of God’s immense love, the sign of our salvation and path toward the Resurrection. This is our hope (Pope Francis)
La Croce di Gesù è la nostra unica vera speranza! Ecco perché la Chiesa “esalta” la santa Croce, ed ecco perché noi cristiani benediciamo con il segno della croce. Cioè, noi non esaltiamo le croci, ma la Croce gloriosa di Gesù, segno dell’amore immenso di Dio, segno della nostra salvezza e cammino verso la Risurrezione. E questa è la nostra speranza (Papa Francesco)
The basis of Christian construction is listening to and the fulfilment of the word of Christ (Pope John Paul II)
Alla base della costruzione cristiana c’è l’ascolto e il compimento della parola di Cristo (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
«Rebuke the wise and he will love you for it. Be open with the wise, he grows wiser still; teach the upright, he will gain yet more» (Prov 9:8ff)
«Rimprovera il saggio ed egli ti sarà grato. Dà consigli al saggio e diventerà ancora più saggio; istruisci il giusto ed egli aumenterà il sapere» (Pr 9,8s)
These divisions are seen in the relationships between individuals and groups, and also at the level of larger groups: nations against nations and blocs of opposing countries in a headlong quest for domination [Reconciliatio et Paenitentia n.2]
Queste divisioni si manifestano nei rapporti fra le persone e fra i gruppi, ma anche a livello delle più vaste collettività: nazioni contro nazioni, e blocchi di paesi contrapposti, in un'affannosa ricerca di egemonia [Reconciliatio et Paenitentia n.2]
But the words of Jesus may seem strange. It is strange that Jesus exalts those whom the world generally regards as weak. He says to them, “Blessed are you who seem to be losers, because you are the true winners: the kingdom of heaven is yours!” Spoken by him who is “gentle and humble in heart”, these words present a challenge (Pope John Paul II)
È strano che Gesù esalti coloro che il mondo considera in generale dei deboli. Dice loro: “Beati voi che sembrate perdenti, perché siete i veri vincitori: vostro è il Regno dei Cieli!”. Dette da lui che è “mite e umile di cuore”, queste parole lanciano una sfida (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
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