1:14 “Wherefore they cried unto the Lord, and said, We beseech thee, O Lord, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.”
Now here is a marvel! These heathen idolaters are praying to the Lord God of heaven and earth! And furthermore, they are desperately striving to save a prophet’s life and beseeching God that He will not lay upon them innocent blood. How marked is the contrast of the scene at Calvary. A far greater than Jonah was there but none sought to save His life then. The judge found Him innocent with the words, “I find no fault in this man,” but none heeded the verdict. They crucified Him! But on the Cross of shame and suffering He cries to God on their behalf. “Lay not this sin upon them,” with the words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” We do not read of any who lifted a finger to save His life. We do not read of any who prayed to God. We do not read of any who besought God earnestly not to lay upon them innocent blood. You can say it was foreordained that Christ should die. Yes, and it was foreordained that Jonah should suffer. But in Jonah we see men caught up in a destiny not of their choosing who strove hard to avoid it, who besought God not to hold it against them, and who saw it as being foreordained with the words, “For thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.” These were heathen idolaters! Seeing then that Calvary was foreordained from the beginning, should not those who were caught up in it have reacted similarly, being God’s chosen people? If God could cause Jonah to be cast into the sea then God could cause Christ to be crucified, and men should at least have been horrified at such a thing instead of delighted.
1:15 “So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.”
It is a true picture. When Christ is crucified the angry masses begin to break apart and drift away. The shouts of “Crucify him, crucify him” are stilled at last. Pilate returns to his judging, the centurion and the soldiers to their duties. The sabbath preparations begin in Jerusalem. The disciples return to their homes. John takes Mary to his house. “The sea ceased from her raging,” and the great calm of the sabbath descends upon Jerusalem and Bethany. The earthquakes cease and the heavens begin their normal role again. The clouds depart and the sun resumes his shining as the last rays of the evening touch the mount of Olives. All is peaceful again. Only One is missing. Jonah typifies the Missing Prophet. The Innocent One is found no more in the temple, the Lamb of God is seen no longer in the streets of Jerusalem. The hands that healed a multitude of broken bodies, the lips that spake words none other ever spake, the feet that blessed the roads of Galilee – where are they now? The sea has ceased from her raging but the ship and her crew will never be the same again. It is as it was in the beginning – a watery waste with the Spirit of God brooding over the face of the waters. The voice that cried, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is come unto you” is silent now. We gaze with awe over the face of the waters but the Prophet is missing from our view. Only the sea remains, deceptively normal once more, and we look in vain for a familiar figure as we turn in thought through the gates of Jerusalem, for He will not be seen in her streets again “till He come.”
