Jonah and Jesus and the sea

Wikipedia's article about the book of Jonah notes that: 

In Judaism, the story of Jonah represents the teaching of teshuva, which is the ability to repent and be forgiven by God...The Book of Jonah is read every year, in its original Hebrew and in its entirety, on Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement, as the Haftarah at the afternoon mincha prayer.

The article also indicates that the story remains popular among Christians and is retold in the Quran.

Further, Wikipedia mentions the Psalm in chapter 2. I hadn't noticed that! So I looked it up in the New King James Version which has cross-referencing. And there they all are in verses 2 to 9. Most of the verses are noted as being from Psalms, others are from I Kings, Lamentations, Jeremiah, Hosea and Ecclesiastes.

What an example for us as Bible students to learn Bible verses off by heart! The calling of them to mind can even rescue you from the belly of a whale.

Dummelow's A Commentary on the Holy Bible likens the story of Jonah asleep for three days with Jesus being asleep when a storm hit the disciples' ship. He says, “For the story of the sleeper in the storm cf. Mk 4. 'Jonah was peaceful because he thought he was far from God's hand, Jesus was confident because he knew he was hidden in God's hand'”

The relevant verses in Mark 4 have: “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4: 37-39).

Joyce Voysey

Ed. Isn't it wonderful to learn of those cross-references? How good it is to read across our Bibles instead of just in a particular book or passage.