What does Matthew 12:40 mean?

Explanation

Matthew 12:40 alludes to the story of Jonah in the Old Testament, where Jonah spends three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish as a consequence of attempting to flee from God's command.

In this verse, Jesus refers to this event as a sign that points to His own death, burial, and resurrection. He states that the Son of Man, a title He uses for Himself, will also be buried for a similar period - three days and three nights - before rising again.

The verse emphasizes the duration of Jesus' time in the grave, drawing a parallel between His experience and that of Jonah, and serves to provide a prophetic verification of His resurrection.

Historical Context

The Gospel of Matthew was written to a primarily Jewish audience, which is why it includes many references to the Hebrew Scriptures.

The context here is Jesus' response to the Pharisees who are demanding a sign from Him to prove His authority as the Messiah. The reference to Jonah would have resonated with Jesus' listeners, as they would have been familiar with the story from the Book of Jonah.

Theological Insights

There are differing theological viewpoints regarding this verse:

• Traditional View: Many theologians assert that the statement literally means Jesus was to be in the grave for three days and three nights.

With Jesus' crucifixion typically placed on a Friday and His resurrection on a Sunday, they explain that in Jewish reckoning, any part of a day can be counted as a whole.

• Typology: Some theologians discuss this as typology, where Jonah's time in the fish prefigures Christ's time in the tomb.
• Sign of Jonah: Others focus on the "sign of Jonah" as the only sign Jesus would give to an "evil and adulterous generation," pointing to His resurrection as the ultimate proof of His divine authority.

Practical Applications

• Prophecy Fulfillment: Believers can draw assurance from the fact that Jesus' prophecy about His own resurrection was fulfilled, affirming their faith in the reliability of scriptural prophecy.
• Trust in Trials: The example of Christ's victory over death encourages individuals to trust in God's power to deliver and redeem through life's challenges.
• Significance of Resurrection: This verse reinforces the centrality of the resurrection in Christian faith, reminding followers of its importance in their personal belief system.

Cross-References

• Jonah 1:17 - "Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.

And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."

• Matthew 16:4 - "A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.

And he left them, and departed."

• Matthew 17:23 - "And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again.

And they were exceeding sorry."

• 1 Corinthians 15:4 - "And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

Language Study

In the original Greek text, the term "κοιλία" (koilia) translates to "belly" or "womb," and the phrase "τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας" (treis hēmeras kai treis nyktas) translates directly to "three days and three nights." It is worth noting that the Jewish understanding of "day" could refer to any part of a daylight period, and "night" similarly for the nighttime, not necessarily a full 24-hour period.

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

The concept of death and rebirth is a common theme in many ancient mythologies and religions. For instance, in the Egyptian myth, Osiris dies and is resurrected, which bears a symbolic likeness to the death and resurrection theme in Christian theology.

However, the Christian narrative is distinct in claiming a historical, rather than purely symbolic, resurrection.

Scientific Perspectives

The notion of someone being "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" doesn't align with contemporary scientific understanding of human survival without oxygen, food, or water.

However, both believers and secular scholars treat this passage as a religious and theological statement rather than a comment on natural phenomena.

commentaries

• John Gill's Exposition of the Bible suggests that "three days and three nights" should be understood as part of three days, which was common to Jewish speech.

Gill explains that any part of a day was computationally regarded as the whole.

• The Matthew Henry Commentary offers that this verse isn't intended to specify the precise duration but to serve as a sign.

Henry addresses that the true intent is to link Jesus' resurrection to Jonah's deliverance as a miracle signifying divine intervention.

• The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges highlights that the comparison with Jonah serves as both a rebuke to those seeking a sign and as an illustration of Jesus' forthcoming death and resurrection.