The Messianic Covenant In The Book Of Jonah

For my part of the project, I am tasked with making connections between the Messianic covenant in references to passages from the books of Jonah and Isaiah. One of the most iconic symbols in the book of Jonah was when he was engulfed by a whale for three days and nights. This is a theological prefiguring of the death and burial of Jesus. After three days, Jonah was released from the whale, symbolizing Christ's resurrection. The action of getting swallowed and released by the whale is significant to the story of Jonah because he comes out of the whale renewed and ready to complete God's mission. Another notable symbol is when Jonah was thrown overboard to save the lives of the sailors. In this instance, he became their biblical scapegoat. The scapegoat was a sacrificial animal that was presented to the chief priest with all the sins of Israel and released
In the same way, Christ was our scapegoat because he sacrificed himself to free us from sin. In the prophecy of Isaiah, the Messiah was shown to be a suffering servant who will suffer and die in obedience. Jesus was an example of obedience, even to his death. Isaiah also indicated that the Messiah will become a light to the Gentiles. This means that the Messiah will share God's love and teaching to all the nations. The symbols of a suffering servant and a light to the Gentiles were important to Isaiah because the promise of the Messiah gave hope to the Israelites during exile. The book of Luke revealed the establishment and fulfillment of the Messianic covenant. In the covenant, we see Jesus as the scapegoat and suffering servant who will die and rise in three days. This strengthens an renews each of the symbols and brings them to completion in the Messianic covenant. We see this during the institution of the Last Supper, when Jesus created a covenant for all mankind by sacrificing His Body and