Pharisees' request for a sign from the Messiah

[rstrats]

When responding to the Pharisees' request for a sign, why do you suppose the Messiah made the specific point that He would be in the "heart of the earth" for 3 days and 3 nights?

[Miles]

When responding to the Pharisees' request for a sign, why do you suppose the Messiah made the specific point that He would be in the "heart of the earth" for 3 days and 3 nights?

Book, chapter, and verse(s) please.

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[rstrats]

[Replying to Miles in post #2]

Matthew 12:38-40.

[Miles]

When responding to the Pharisees' request for a sign, why do you suppose the Messiah made the specific point that He would be in the "heart of the earth" for 3 days and 3 nights?

Matthew 12:38-40.

Matthew 12:38-40
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law answered Jesus. They said, “Teacher, we want to see you do a miracle as a sign from God.”
39 Jesus answered, “Evil and sinful people are the ones who want to see a miracle as a sign. But no miracle will be done to prove anything to them. The only sign will be the miracle that happened to the prophet Jonah. 40 Jonah was in the stomach of the big fish for three days and three nights. In the same way, the Son of Man will be in the grave three days and three nights.

Bragging perhaps? That he would be as lucky as the fictional Jonah?

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[rstrats]

Bragging perhaps? That he would be as lucky as the fictional Jonah?

But why 3 days and 3 nights? Why not 2 days and 2 nights? Was there something meaningful about the former?

[Miles]

Bragging perhaps? That he would be as lucky as the fictional Jonah?

But why 3 days and 3 nights? Why not 2 days and 2 nights? Was there something meaningful about the former?

My guess would be, because that's how long Jonah is said to have spent in the fish, (Jonah 1:17) and surely Jesus could do as well.

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[rstrats]

My guess would be, because that's how long Jonah is said to have spent in the fish, (Jonah 1:17) and surely Jesus could do as well.

I think the Jonah account is generally considered to be the type and the crucifixion/resurrection account to be the antitype. I'm simply curious if there was a specific reason for choosing 3 days and 3 nights for the typology.

[TRANSPONDER]

I think the Jonah story may be the answer. As to that, there is the Talpiot tomb (not now thought to contain the bones of Jesus ) but an ossuary with a graffito of a man emerging from a fish suggests that Jonah was seen as a symbol of resurrection.


Jonah 1:17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

The OP may be pointing to other matters like what was the idea behind the Pharisees asking for a sign. Sign of what? The coming of the Kingdom? Jesus' messiahship?I may have to look at context.A quick look suggests that this isn't the case. We have three separate elements

(1) The pharisees ask for a sign (of the coming kingdom or the bad stuff that goes with it) Jesus says there will be no sign other than (the usual) stuff that is going on that is (always) interpreted as the last Days coming to pass, and it never happens.

(2) Jesus saying that the Temple will be rebuilt in three days (as a sign of his resurrection). And there's a whole lot of Christian baggage in that passage.

(3) Jesus predicting that he will be killed and rise again in three days. But this was out of nowhere to his disciples, not because Pharisees or anyone else asked anything about it.

Nevertheless, the significance of three days (and three nights) and whether the story of Jonah is anything to do with it remains. And waiting in the wings is of course whether Jesus (in Gospel reckoning) was three days dead. The reference to 'three days' is in Matthew and the others say rather 'the third day' which at a stretch might work; three days absolutely doesn't, even without Jesus telling the penitent thief that they would bot be risen that day, or the query that Jesus had to be gone from the tomb before the tomb guard arrived, because it was the angel scared the guards away, not Jesus suddenly appearing.

[rstrats]

The OP may be pointing to other matters like what was the idea behind the Pharisees asking for a sign.

It isn't. The question is, why 3 days and 3 nights? Why not 2 days and 2 nights? Was there something meaningful about the former?

[TRANSPONDER]

The OP may be pointing to other matters like what was the idea behind the Pharisees asking for a sign.

It isn't. The question is, why 3 days and 3 nights? Why not 2 days and 2 nights? Was there something meaningful about the former?

Three is a sorta go -to number, not just in the Bible, hough three as a number to do things like collect the spoils of war, is handy without religious significance, and Jonah might very well be the scriptural reason why, even if Jonah was not a known symbol of resurrection amongst Pharisees.

Finally it might be the coincidentally, that was the actual timescale - not three days and three nights but on the third day, which isn't the same thing. Friday last thing, death and burial. Saturday Sabbath so nothing can be done, Sunday after evening to dawn Jesus is discovered gone. Sonit looks like the third day if not three actual days.

Apart from which and aside that Luke has Jesus letting it slip (which might be why Matthew left it out, and you can have that one for free, Bible - spankers) as it means that Jesus rose on the First day, not the third, (cue 'rising from the dead doesn't mean the same as resurrection) and never mind the doubt that there was ever a tomb -guard anyway as nobody else even hints at it, Jesus can either walk through solid rock or he never resurrected at all. Because nobody saw him exit the tomb before the door was rolled away.