Jonah and Holy Communion

[LivingWordUnity]

About a year ago, I was looking at the Hanna-Barbera art cover below, and I realized how the story of Jonah being swallowed by a "great fish" prefigures Holy Communion.

If you know biblical typology and Christian symbolism, and you study the picture of the fish swallowing Jonah, you will see it.

Jonah is an Old Testament prototype for Christ. And the fish is a symbol for Christians.

"And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." - Jonah 1:17

“And Jesus said to them, 'Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.'” - Mark 1:17

 

[prodromos]

Maybe. I think it is a bit of a stretch myself. I don't think such a view has ever been put forward by any of the Church Fathers, but then I have only read a fraction of what is out there.

 

[Jesus4Madrid]

Not sure about that.

Jonah is a typology for Christ and his entry into the great fish prefigures Christ's entry into the tomb. On the Third Day, they both come out. Orthodox read this passage today in our liturgy to remind us of this.

This also reminds us that God's will shall be done. Jonah resisted and Christ submitted to God's will, but ultimately He is sovereign. Great is the reward for those of us whom God can use to make the world conform to His purpose (Rom 8:28)--to shine light in a world of darkness and extend love, justice and grace.

 

[ArmyMatt]

maybe, I personally have not heard that typology, but I can see your point.

 

[~Anastasia~]

Whether it is intended that way or not, it's a pretty cool observation.

I know I myself am often reminded of spiritual truths in "personal typologies" (I say that as a stretch) ... just that I see this or that and am reminded of some truth of God.

But what is true, is true. So whenever we see it, in whatever we see it, I think it's good.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

Jonah is a typology for Christ and his entry into the great fish prefigures Christ's entry into the tomb. On the Third Day, they both come out. Orthodox read this passage today in our liturgy to remind us of this.

I agree with this. It's the standard interpretation. But I think it can be looked at in both ways.

This also reminds us that God's will shall be done. Jonah resisted and Christ submitted to God's will, but ultimately He is sovereign. Great is the reward for those of us whom God can use to make the world conform to His purpose (Rom 8:28)--to shine light in a world of darkness and extend love, justice and grace.

I agree with this, too. It shows that with biblical typology the Old Testament type is inferior to the fulfillment in the New Testament antitype. So even though the story of Jonah has things in it that point forward to Jesus Christ, Jonah is inferior to Jesus Christ.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Whether it is intended that way or not, it's a pretty cool observation.

I know I myself am often reminded of spiritual truths in "personal typologies" (I say that as a stretch) ... just that I see this or that and am reminded of some truth of God.

But what is true, is true. So whenever we see it, in whatever we see it, I think it's good.

yep, if it points you to Christ, even if it's a stretch, it points you to Christ

 

[buzuxi02]

cool!

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

I like the imagery. Even more I like the thought of Living Word Unity becoming Orthodox....but hey, that's me thinking out loud!

 

[mcarmichael]

Hm....

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

They have found depictions of Yonah on early Christian tombs. It symbolizes the hope of resurrection

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

They have found depictions of Yonah on early Christian tombs. It symbolizes the hope of resurrection

 

[LivingWordUnity]

They have found depictions of Yonah on early Christian tombs. It symbolizes the hope of resurrection

I agree. The main Christian interpretation of it is how it calls to mind Christ’s Resurrection. It's the one that every Christian believer should already know about. There is nothing more important in Christianity than our belief in the Resurrection. But I think the interpretation I presented in the OP is valid, too, because it seems to make perfect sense in terms of biblical typology and Christian symbolism.

Things in Sacred Scripture can at times have layers of meaning. The interpretation I presented in the OP doesn't contradict the traditional interpretation that recognizes Jonah's time in the belly of the fish and his exit as prefiguring Christ's time in the tomb and the Resurrection. I think the two interpretations can exist together and are actually complementary since there's a relationship between Holy Communion and the Resurrection at the last day.

“The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.'” - Jn 6:52-58

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

They have found depictions of Yonah on early Christian tombs. It symbolizes the hope of resurrection

http://a57.foxnews.com/images.foxne...1.img.jpg/876/493/1421887905300.jpg?ve=1&tl=1

 

[LivingWordUnity]

I think I see a distinction that perhaps needs to be pointed out. Jesus himself compares Jonah's time in the belly of the fish to Jesus' time in the tomb and his Resurrection.

"For 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 12:40​

And we know that the early Christians echoed this. So that interpretation is absolutely undeniable.

But the time in the belly of the fish isn't the aspect of the Jonah story that my observation was focused on. The OP is only focused on the allegorical symbolism of Jonah being swallowed by the fish.

However, there seems to be an eschatological parallel between Jesus' time in the tomb and the time of the Church (see Hos 6:2). And if we look at the "great fish" as not limited to an individual person but as the Church as a whole receiving Holy Communion I think the two interpretations meet with each other.

 

[prodromos]

However, there seems to be an eschatological parallel between Jesus' time in the tomb and the time of the Church (see Hos 6:2). And if we look at the "great fish" as not limited to an individual person but as the Church as a whole receiving Holy Communion I think the two interpretations meet with each other.

I don't like the image of the Church spewing up Christ's body.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

I don't like the image of the Church spewing up Christ's body.

It seems to me like that can be a combined image pointing forward to the End Times apostasy (see 2 Thess 2:3-4) and Christ's return. In Mt 24:24, Jesus says about the apostasy, "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect." And in Lk 18:8, he says, "When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" Jonah emerging suddenly out of the fish could be a typological image of how the veil of Jesus' hidden Real Presence is finally lifted, and Jesus is unexpectedly fully visible for the whole world to see him.

 

[GregConstantine]

They have found depictions of Yonah on early Christian tombs. It symbolizes the hope of resurrection

We spell "Yonah" with "J" in English. We speak English on this forum.

thank you

 

[Yeshua HaDerekh]

We spell "Yonah" with "J" in English. We speak English on this forum.

thank you

As usual, what a great addition to the conversation Greggy! You can go back into your hole now...

 

[prodromos]

We spell "Yonah" with "J" in English.

You recognised who he was referring to though.

We speak English on this forum.

thank you

We speak a lot of languages. We mostly post in English.