An elderly lady was sitting in a seat on a plane, reading her Bible and the man next to her asks, “Do you really believe all the stories in that book?” “Of course I do,” she replied; “It’s there in the Bible.”
Then the man said, “You actually believe that a man was swallowed by a big fish and lived in the belly of the fish for three days?” “Oh, you mean Jonah. Of course I do, it’s God’s Word and it’s in the Bible.” she replied.
He asked again, “How can you believe that?” She replied, “I told you, it’s in the Bible. When I get to heaven, I’ll ask Jonah, and I’m sure he will explain everything.”
The man then said, “What if Jonah is not there?” She looked him dead straight in the eye and said, “Then you ask him!”
Have you ever heard people say they can’t believe the Bible because it contains “hard to believe” stories like Jonah and the Whale or Noah and the Ark or God’s creation in six days for that matter.
Even if we could prove these stories in the Bible, would it be enough for them to come to know Christ as Lord and Savior?
The truth or validity of the Bible is not dependent on proving if these stories are true. The validity of the Bible rests on the question “Who is Jesus?” If Jesus is God creator of all things, we can trust what He says about what’s in the Word of God. And if Jesus is not God, who cares?
Let’s look at the account Jesus gave of the prophet Jonah found in Matthew 12:38-40
“Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to Him, ‘Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.’ He answered, ‘A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous 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 huge fish so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’ “
Notice that Jesus compared Jonah being in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights to the fact that he would be three days and three nights in a tomb before being raised from the dead.
Now if Jesus is who He said He is, the validity of the stories in the Bible rests on His identity, God incarnate…The Word of God says, ”In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” John 1:1, 14
LIFE LESSON: So again the validity of the stories of Jonah and the Whale, Noah and the Ark, and God’s Creation in six days are true events not because they can be proven scientifically, but because Jesus is God, second part of the Trinity and He said they happened! Period! Praise God, the Creator of all things!
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Growing in His Grace