Is the Book Of Jonah A Work Of Fiction? If So, Why Would Jesus Refer To Him As A Real Guy?

I remember as a child sitting in Sunday school looking at pictures on the wall of Daniel in the lions den, Noah's ark, and Jonah and the big fish. Those pictures and the stories that went along with them seemed absolutely real to me. I had no doubt and no questions at all about the reality of them.

Later in life, I encountered the voices of the critics who very loudly and boldly claimed that all such stories in the Bible are purely fiction. But are they?

It seems that for many, anything and everything miraculous is written off as fiction when it comes to the Bible, especially topics like Jonah and the whale. But what does the Bible itself say about Jonah? Does it treat him as a true historical figure? Or is the story simply an allegory to teach a lesson? Could it be that it is a true account that teaches many lessons? Did Jesus have anything to say about this rebellious prophet?

Today I has happy to find that on his web site James Flanders has begun placing some short audio lessons on the book of Jonah and in the very first one he takes a look at what Christ had to say about the man.

Below is a transcript of the short audio.

Jonah (More Than A Fish Story)

Jonah was a guy who had some issues. He had some problems. He was a bit rebellious. He had a bad attitude. So much so, that when God would tell him to go one direction Jonah would go the opposite direction.

Jonah's attitude problems created some more problems along the way, but yet the beautiful thing about it... the amazing thing about it... is that none of it took God by surprise. In fact, God had prepared in advance for Jonah's rebelliousness because God loved Jonah and wanted to do something in Jonah and through Jonah for Jonah's benefit and also for the benefit of some other people.

Now when it comes to the book of Jonah, the first thing people think about is Jonah and the fish. Many even say it is a work of fiction. But let me tell ya, I believe it's more than just a fish story. I believe it is the truth. I believe that Jonah was a real person and the things we are going to read about really happened. Why? Well, first of all, in other places in the Bible, like Second Kings chapter fourteen verse twenty-five, Jonah is referred to as a real life guy... an actual person who lived. It calls him a prophet and even tells us where his hometown was.

Even more important than what it says in Second Kings, Christ Jesus, Himself referred back to Jonah as a real person. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus was being harassed by the religious leaders (which was a very common thing) and in the midst of their harassing they said, "Come on man show us some proof that you are who you claim to be. Give us some proof that you have the right to be doing and saying the things you are doing and saying. Give us a sign."

And Jesus in response basically said this. "An evil and faithless generation seeks after a sign, but you guys aren't going to get any sign at all except the sign of the prophet Jonah."

Jonah by the way, had lived quiet a long time before Jesus.

Then Jesus says this, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

As Jesus was prophesying about His death and resurrection, He says, "Just like Jonah was three days and three nights in a fish... listen buddy... I'm going to be three days and three nights in a grave. But just as Jonah came up out of that fish, I am going to come up out of the grave."

We will talk more about Jonah in the coming days.