A reader writes:
The muslim Ahmed Deedat once wanted to prove that Jesus did not die on the cross. For this he used the sign of Jonah in Matthew 12:40 making the connection: Jonah alive in the fish = Jesus alive in the tomb. Hence these questions on which I would like to have your opinion.
1. If Jesus died in the tomb, did Jonah therefore die in the belly of the fish and then rise again (Jonah chapter 2)?
2. If Jonah didn’t die in the fish, would that also mean Jesus wasn’t in the tomb either?
Regarding your questions:
1) Jesus did not die in the tomb. He died on the Cross, and afterward his body was put in the tomb.
Jonah did not die in the fish. He lived through the entire experience.
2) No. Just because Jonah didn’t die in the fish does not mean that Jesus was not in the tomb. He was in it.
If your account is accurate, what Mr. Deedat is doing is making two mistakes.
Pressing Analogies Beyond Their Limits
First, he is pressing an analogy beyond its limits. In an analogy, there are two things that are similar in some way. The similarity is the basis of the analogy/comparison.
But there also are differences between the two things, which are also essential for the analogy. If there were no differences, one would be comparing a thing to itself, which would make no sense.
Thus, in the comparison between Jonah and Jesus, both go into something for “three days.” That is the similarity.
But then the differences start: Jonah is named Jonah, while Jesus is named Jesus. Jonah went into a fish, while Jesus went into a tomb. Jonah went to Nineveh, while Jesus didn’t. Jonah lived centuries before Christ, while Jesus lived centuries after Jonah. Et cetera.
What Mr. Deedat is doing is failing to appreciate that not every element of an analogy is the same, and he is pressing the analogy beyond its limits.
Specifically, he is insisting that the life-status of the two figures must be the same, but this is one of the differences between the two things being compared: Jonah was alive, while Jesus was dead.
Failing to Identify the Point of Analogy
Second, Mr. Deedat would be failing to notice that the life-status of the two figures is not part of the sign of being “in” something for “three days.”
Jonah was alive when he went into the fish, while Jesus was already dead when he went into the tomb.
Therefore, Jesus being dead tells us nothing about Jonah’s status and whether he was alive. Nor does Jonah’s status of being alive tell us anything about Jesus’ life-status.
The point of the comparison is that they were both in something for “three days.” That is the comparison. Whether they were alive or dead while they were in this thing is simply not part of the comparison.
I hope this helps, and God bless you!
