The picture is becoming more evident; Jonah willingly offered himself as a sacrifice to save the lives of the sailors, and as he was thrown into the deep and sunk to the bottom he wore a crown of weeds or thorns. The Bible says this about Jesus:
John 19:1-2 ESV Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. (2) And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe.
I called the name of this lesson “Buried and Risen, Illustrated” because of Jonah 2:6:
Jonah 2:6 ESV at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.
Buried and risen! As we see Jonah sinking down to the roots of the mountains, it is almost as if he is being buried in a watery tomb, a pit that would be closed upon him forever, while wearing his crown of weeds. Yet the Lord brought His life up from the pit on the third day, like a resurrection.
Dear friend, Jesus not only died for you but was buried and raised for you. Your old self died with Him, was buried with Him, and your new person was raised with Him! This has beautiful ramifications for us desiring purity and freedom from slavery to sexual sins. God has remedied our problem at the cross of Christ, and in His burial. And in His resurrection, He raised us from our pit of pornography, our pit of sexual impurity!
Can you imagine this kind of love, even for a second? Jonah was thrown into the watery grave, but Jesus jumped into the ocean of our sins willingly. Jonah did it as a concession, Jesus did it out of love for us. Friend, please stop and consider what kind of love this is. It’s a supernatural kind of love that He has for us!
As I consider this story in Jonah, and the truth that Jesus died, was buried, and rose for me, this is what I would say if Jesus were right here with me:
“Thank you, Jesus, for willingly going to not only the cross but to the grave, so that I can be set free from sin and go to heaven. Thank you for wearing a crown of thorns so that I can wear the crown of life. Thank you, Jesus, for taking my sins with you and burying them all. Thank you, Jesus, for loving me unto death, for loving me to the grave, for rising from the dead for me, for ever living to intercede for me.”
Question 6. Think about this next question in light of the teaching today: what would you say to Jesus Christ if He were right there with you right now?
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