Short answer
The Christian story does not fit it. In Matthew, Jesus promised one sign only, to those who demanded a sign: the sign of Jonah. As Jonah was in the fish, he said, so the Son of Man would be in the heart of the earth. But Jonah was alive the whole time. He prayed from inside the fish and came out alive. Christians believe Jesus lay dead in the tomb, which is unlike Jonah. Christians explain the count of days in different ways. But however the days are counted, Jonah was alive and Christians believe Jesus was dead. By the sign Jesus gave, the Christian story fails. The Qur'an says he was neither killed nor crucified, and Allah (﷾) raised him up to Himself.
Full explanation
The one sign he gave
The scribes and Pharisees, Jewish teachers of the law and a strict religious party, asked Jesus for a sign. He said no sign would be given but the sign of the prophet Jonah. He compared the Son of Man to Jonah, and named the place: the heart of the earth. Matthew records the same refusal of any other sign a second time.
“But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
“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.”
Jonah was alive throughout
Jonah was alive when the fish swallowed him. He was alive when he prayed to God (﷾) from its belly. He was alive when it cast him out on dry land. The Book of Jonah and the Qur'an agree on this. The wonder of Jonah is that a man who should have died did not die.
“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.”
“Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly,”
“And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.”
“Then the big Fish did swallow him, and he had done acts worthy of blame. Had it not been that he (repented and) glorified Allah, He would certainly have remained inside the Fish till the Day of Resurrection. But We cast him forth on the naked shore in a state of sickness,”
| Stage | Jonah | Jesus, as Christians believe |
|---|---|---|
| Inside | Alive in the fish. He prayed to God (﷾) “out of the fish’s belly”. | Dead in the tomb |
| Coming out | Cast out alive “upon the dry land” | Raised from the dead |
Jesus said the Son of Man would be as Jonah was. However the days are counted, Jonah was alive throughout. The Qur'an says Jesus was neither killed nor crucified, and Allah (﷾) raised him up to Himself.
How Christians read the sign
Christians read the sign as a picture of the resurrection: Jesus in the tomb and raised on the third day, as Paul says. Matthew himself has Jesus foretell that he would be raised "the third day". So for Matthew, "three days and three nights" and "the third day" mean the same span. Luke's version says Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, the people of Nineveh. Christians read this as his preaching. They explain the count by saying that Jews treated part of a day as a whole day. They point to Esther, a Jewish queen of Persia. She asked for a fast of three days, night or day, and went to the king on the third day.
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”
“From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”
“For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.”
“Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”
“Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.”
The third day in the Old Testament
Luke has Jesus say it is written that the Christ would rise on the third day. Paul says it happened according to the Scriptures. The verses Christians offer are Hosea 6:2 and Jonah 1:17. Hosea 6:2 speaks of "us", the people of Israel returning to the Lord. Jonah 1:17 speaks of a man in a fish. Neither names the Messiah, and neither speaks of a man rising from death.
“And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:”
“Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.”
“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.”
What the Qur'an says
The Qur'an tells of Jonah glorifying Allah (﷾) from inside the fish and being cast out alive. It tells of God (﷾) hearing his cry and delivering him. It says of Jesus that he was not killed or crucified. The sign Jesus gave is of a man who does not die. The Qur'an says Jesus was not killed or crucified, and Allah (﷾) raised him up to Himself.
“Then the big Fish did swallow him, and he had done acts worthy of blame. Had it not been that he (repented and) glorified Allah, He would certainly have remained inside the Fish till the Day of Resurrection. But We cast him forth on the naked shore in a state of sickness,”
“And remember Zun-nun, when he departed in wrath: He imagined that We had no power over him! But he cried through the depths of darkness, "There is no god but thou: glory to thee: I was indeed wrong!" So We listened to him: and delivered him from distress: and thus do We deliver those who have faith.”
“That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:-”
“Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise;-”
Verse by verse
Matthew 12:39-40 — Gospel of Matthew, chapter 12, verses 39-40
“But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Cited for
The sign is about the time in the tomb and the return from it. Jonah coming out of the fish pictures Jesus rising from the dead.
The response
Jesus said, "as Jonas was", "so shall the Son of man be". Jonah prayed to God (﷾) from inside the fish and was cast out alive. A man lying dead in a tomb, as Christians believe of Jesus, is unlike him.
Where it lands — Jonah was alive in the fish, so a dead Jesus is unlike him, and the Christian story does not fit the sign Jesus gave.
Jonah 2:2-6 — Nevi'im, Yonah, chapter 2, verses 2-6
“And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.”
Cited for
Jonah speaks of crying out of the belly of hell and of his life being brought up from corruption. So, they say, Jonah died and was raised, like Jesus.
The response
Jonah prayed these words out of the fish's belly (Jonah 2:1), and a man praying is alive. The psalm speaks of the deep waters closing over him. It thanks God (﷾) for bringing him up out of them. And the Qur'an says he glorified Allah (﷾) inside the fish.
Where it lands — Jonah prayed from inside the fish, so he was alive there.
Esther 4:16 — Ketuvim, Ester, chapter 4, verse 16
“Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”
Cited for
Jews counted part of a day as a whole day. Esther fasted three days, night or day, and still went in to the king on the third day.
The response
However the days are counted, Jonah's condition is unchanged: he was alive, and Christians say Jesus was dead. Matthew elsewhere says "the third day", but that does not change it.
Where it lands — Any way of counting the days leaves a living Jonah beside a dead Jesus, so the Christian story does not fit the sign.
Luke 11:30 — Gospel of Luke, chapter 11, verse 30
“For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.”
Cited for
Luke makes Jonah a sign by his preaching to Nineveh, not by his time in the fish.
The response
Luke's version is shorter. Matthew mentions the preaching too, but first ties the sign to Jonah in the fish. There Jonah was alive, praying to God (﷾) from inside the fish.
Where it lands — Matthew's fuller version ties the sign to Jonah in the fish, and there Jonah was alive.
Luke 24:46 — Gospel of Luke, chapter 24, verse 46
“And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:”
Cited for
The Old Testament foretold that the Christ would rise on the third day, as in Hosea 6:2.
The response
Hosea 6:2 is spoken by "us", the people of Israel, who say "let us return unto the Lord". Jonah 1:17 is about Jonah in a fish. Neither names the Messiah or a man rising from death.
Where it lands — No Old Testament verse says that the Messiah will rise on the third day.
Perspectives
Mainstream Christian
Christians say the sign of Jonah points to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. As Jonah came out of the fish, they say, Jesus rose from the tomb on the third day.
Paul teaches that Christ was buried and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures.
Rebuttal
Paul does say this. But the sign was given by Jesus, in his own words: "as Jonas was", "so shall the Son of man be". Jonah was alive. No Old Testament verse names the Messiah rising on the third day.
Jewish counting treated part of a day as a whole day, so Friday to Sunday counts as three days.
Rebuttal
However the days are counted, Jonah was alive and Christians believe Jesus was dead. Part-day counting might explain "the third day", but it does not change that.
The Islamic perspective
Jesus gave the sign of Jonah as the only sign for that generation, and Jonah was alive throughout. On the Christian account Jesus was dead, so the Christian story does not fit the sign. The Qur'an says he was not killed.
Jesus said no sign would be given but the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Jonah was alive in the fish. He prayed to God (﷾) from its belly, and was cast out on dry land.
A Jesus who lay dead in the tomb was unlike Jonah, so the Christian story does not fit the sign.
No Old Testament verse says that the Messiah will rise on the third day.
The Qur'an teaches that Jesus was not killed or crucified.