A Whale of a Tale
17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 1:17
It was only 2021 when a scuba diving lobster fisherman in Cape Cod (USA) was accidentally sucked into the mouth of a humpback whale. For 30-40 seconds. He went to hospital with significant tissue damage but no broken bones.
Why only 30-40 seconds? Well, humpback whales can’t swallow anything much bigger than a grapefruit. Anything larger gets vomited/spat back out.
So what do we think about Jonah’s story? Swallowed by a fish. Three days and three nights in its belly? And the deeper questions this leads to - are significant parts of the Bible meant to be historical and can we trust the Bible at all?
So. Is it possible? Well - it seems that it could be. Barely. First of all, ignore the language of fish/whale - the best way to interpret this word is big sea animal. In modern terminology - could be a whale or fish. The most likely candidate? A sperm whale.
Sperm whales could swallow a human whole. But what about surviving for three days/nights? Well, that’s where things get really tricky. Because there isn’t much oxygen in a whale’s stomach. Instead, like ours, there’s acid. It’s unlikely you could survive much longer than the amount of time you could hold your breath.
So then that’s it right. Couldn’t have happened!
Well. Not necessarily. I mean let’s remember something here. The Lord provided a great fish… If God is involved is anything impossible? That’s the real issue. If we believe in God - then there’s no reason not to believe in Jonah’s story.
And that’s important for what comes later. There is no natural explanation for the resurrection of Jesus. Only the power of God could do such a thing. And that’s the very point.
For Today:
Pray:
Praise the Father who commands the fish of the sea. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who suffered in death for our sake before being raised from the dead. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others trust in His supernatural power.
Jonah 1:17
It was only 2021 when a scuba diving lobster fisherman in Cape Cod (USA) was accidentally sucked into the mouth of a humpback whale. For 30-40 seconds. He went to hospital with significant tissue damage but no broken bones.
Why only 30-40 seconds? Well, humpback whales can’t swallow anything much bigger than a grapefruit. Anything larger gets vomited/spat back out.
So what do we think about Jonah’s story? Swallowed by a fish. Three days and three nights in its belly? And the deeper questions this leads to - are significant parts of the Bible meant to be historical and can we trust the Bible at all?
So. Is it possible? Well - it seems that it could be. Barely. First of all, ignore the language of fish/whale - the best way to interpret this word is big sea animal. In modern terminology - could be a whale or fish. The most likely candidate? A sperm whale.
Sperm whales could swallow a human whole. But what about surviving for three days/nights? Well, that’s where things get really tricky. Because there isn’t much oxygen in a whale’s stomach. Instead, like ours, there’s acid. It’s unlikely you could survive much longer than the amount of time you could hold your breath.
So then that’s it right. Couldn’t have happened!
Well. Not necessarily. I mean let’s remember something here. The Lord provided a great fish… If God is involved is anything impossible? That’s the real issue. If we believe in God - then there’s no reason not to believe in Jonah’s story.
And that’s important for what comes later. There is no natural explanation for the resurrection of Jesus. Only the power of God could do such a thing. And that’s the very point.
For Today:
- What do you think about Jonah’s story? Do you believe it?
- What stops people from believing in stories like this?
- How is God’s power a helpful reminder for you today?
Pray:
Praise the Father who commands the fish of the sea. Give thanks for Jesus Christ who suffered in death for our sake before being raised from the dead. Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you and others trust in His supernatural power.
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