If you have ever found yourself uncertain how to respond to Jonah and his actions, you aren’t alone. I have often read the story of Jonah and found myself caught between feelings of wonder at his blatant rebellion, admiration for his humble repentance and submission, and contempt for his whining selfishness and lack of love for others. Never mind the fact that I just described myself, Jonah is a complex person.

The complexity of Jonah’s story is compounded by the strong allusions to Jesus himself. So much of the good that we see in Jonah, along with his work, points us forward to the life and cross-work of Jesus. Both men were sent by God to preach the word to a lost people. Both men carried a message that was received by many, who by faith repented of their sins and followed God. A striking similarity exists between them when you consider that Jonah spent three days in the belly of a fish, which represents death for Jonah, while Jesus’ real death was followed by three days in a tomb. Both men were resurrected: Jonah figuratively as he was vomited up on dry land and Jesus literally when he conquered death and thrust himself from the grave into the light of life.

I am sure the similarities between the two are not a mistake or a coincidence. I believe they exist on purpose, as God wills, to help us see a very important fact about Jesus, namely that only Jesus saves utterly and eternally, and there is a reason for this. The reason is that only Jesus is perfect. The very traits of Jonah that cause us to relate to him; fear, jealousy, prejudice, and selfishness, are the traits that make his work temporal and limited in effect and scope. The people responded to Jonah’s message but their response only saved them from the immediate threat of judgment and had no lasting impact. No one ever said, “believe in Jonah and be saved.” No man ever said to his child, “Our hope is in Jonah, for Jonah was vomited out of the fish for our sake.” These thoughts were never considered by a single person because Jonah can’t save, and Jonah can’t save because Jonah needed to be saved . . . he was a sinner.

Jesus is different. I can’t relate to his selflessness and willingness to die for another, because Jesus was without sin, and it is his sinless nature that makes him the perfect substitution for me and you. No other person, Jonah included, can pay for another person’s sins because every person but Jesus has his or her own sins to pay for. Jesus is our perfect savior, and Jonah with all his humanness points this out with great effect. So, when you think of Jonah, let your mind wander to Jesus, and marvel at the wonder of his perfect love for you and trust in him who is able to save.