The sign of Jonah- Read (Matthew 12:38-40)(Luke 11:29, 30)
Some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus and asked him to show them a sign. Jesus had done many miracles among the Jews and many of the Pharisees and teachers of the law were eye witnesses to the miracles, yet they wanted him to show them a sign for their pleasure or asking. Jesus did only what the Father told him and he would not do a miracle to satisfy their desire. So he answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a whale, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Jesus, here, was speaking about his impending death, burial and resurrection, as a sign for the seekers, which they did not probably understand.
"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a whale, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth"- This is a statement that causes confusion because Jesus was not in the grave or tomb for three days and three nights; he was crucified and laid in the tomb on Friday before sunset and he was resurrected on Sunday morning. That would not be "three days and three nights"or 72 hours. For such an event, the crucifixion and death would have to be placed at Thursday but then all the verses in the Gospels concerning the Preparation day (day before sabbath) and Sabbath would go haywire. A likely explanation is that since the Jews consider part of a day as one day, it would be three days-part of Friday, Saturday (the sabbath) and part of Sunday.
It's only Matthew who writes about "the three days and three nights in the heart of the earth".
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