The Arrival of Jonah at Nineveh Note Cards
by Rosemarie Adcock
"For just as Jonah was three days and three nights
in the belly of the sea monster,
so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights
in the heart of the earth."
Matthew 12:40
In the\is very large painting by Rosemarie Adcock we see the figure of Jonah spilling out of the mouth of the fish, onto a sandy shore. Nineveh was still a distance from this shoreline, so Jonah had to walk on foot until he completed his journey. Jonah was instructed by God to go to the great city and preach repentance to the people, who were known to be ruthless and cruel. Wanting that these evil people should be judged and destroyed rather than they have an opportunity for God to forgive them, Jonah refused to go to Nineveh, and instead paid the fare for a ship sailing in the other direction to Tarshish. But the real price of the refusing God's instructions cost Jonah more than just the fare!
During a deadly storm, Jonah knew he was the one endangering everyone on board the ship because he was running from God. Finally, the sailors threw Jonah overboard, and the Bible says the Lord appointed a great fish, which swallowed Jonah whole. Jonah remained in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights until the fish vomited him onto the shoreline where God had originally instructed him to go.
When asked for a sign of His authority, Jesus said there would be no sign given except the "sign of Jonah", predicting that after His own death he would be raised to life in 3 days. The painting again uses bitten apples as symbols of sin and failure.