Jonah

Hope1960 said:

Since it’s possible it was an extinct creature, who knows if it had any oxygen in its belly?

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It's just not how animals work. They don't breath into their stomach, they breath into their lungs or gills. Even so, there would not be enough oxygen for three days in the stomach. The surrounding stomach and intestines would continue making methane and other gasses that would render any oxygen useless.

That all said, if it is a miracle then God could have made it happen, he could enable the animal to swallow Jonah and enough oxygen (or keep surfacing for more) to keep him alive. God can do as he pleases, so a natural explanation is not needed here if we want to believe it was a miracle.

Hope1960 said:

He agreed that we are free to not believe the story of Jonah but then he asked me why draw the line at Jonah? Why believe Noah or Moses?

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That is a argument that can be made, but it is kind of a straw man.

Moses is easy, it is verifiable from the oral and written history, the entire nation of Israel attested to the events of that time. There is archaeological evidence of the Jews in Egypt, including settlements and two temples.

Noah is also verifiable based on history. A massive flood event is in geologic, written and oral memory of many parts of the world, so its not just found in one place.

And Moses is not just a story of a more or less singular event like Jonah or Noah, he was the founding person of the faith, so that's not the same at all.

*I edited this as I realize the original content might not be in line with LCMS teaching. *

Hope1960 said:

I asked my pastor if these events were rare even then but were recorded in the Bible because they were so extraordinary and he told me that I hit the nail on the head.
Then I asked if the experiences of Jonah, Moses and Noah were God given miracles and he said they were, 100%.

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That's a reasonably approach to take in this case.