Jesus' Discourse on Jonah 

Being swallowed by a huge whale and walking around inside his belly is a favorite among storytellers. This happened to Geppetto and Pinocchio. Such examples were used in a court case, the Monkey Trial, to disprove the bible being taken literally. What is Jesus’ take?

In Joppa (now called Jaffa), near Jerusalem, Jesus met Gadiah. As a truth seeker and a truth giver, they became close friends. After dinner, the two walked by the sea and Gadiah spotted the ship reputed to be the one that Jonah embarked on his ill-fated voyage. He then asked if Jesus thought Jonah was truly swallowed by a big fish. Jesus surmised that this passage had special meaning for this young man, perhaps a stern admonition to never run away from one’s duties. Jesus crafted his answer by agreeing that we are all Jonahs who dream of escaping from our present duties to something more enticing, requiring less work, offering easy money, and answering to no one. But our duty is to do the will of God. Abandoning chores leads to distressing conflicts between us and the whales of selfishness. All too easy, we become swallowed up.

In the belly of darkness and death, sunk in despair deep as the ocean’s bottom, such God-forsaking Jonahs desperately need God and his goodness. Turning themselves around by hungering for truth and thirsting for righteousness, they can no longer be held in captivity; the whale spits them out on dry land, there to pursue fresh opportunities of service and wiser living.

Gadiah was mightily impressed by the teachings of Jesus. They talked long into the night on the seashore and prayed together and for one another before they departed. Gadiah later became a profound believer in Jesus, and won over others, including his boss, Simon, a wealthy leather merchant.

Years later, Nathaniel sought clarification from Jesus about the nature of the scriptures, acknowledging his selective teachings from them and seeking guidance on their genuine significance. Jesus told Nathaniel, when referencing the story, that even if Jonah had never lived, the profound truth of this narrative and the love of God would still be valuable in the eyes of all those who love others.

Jesus emphasized that the scriptures, while flawed and human in origin, offered valuable religious wisdom and spiritual truth. He noted that despite their human authorship, these writings provided profound insights, emphasizing the love of God for all. Jesus encouraged looking beyond literal interpretation to grasp the higher truths and ideals they conveyed.