The disobedient Jonah who went down and down again,

and the obedient Jesus who went up and up again

Jonah, who disobeyed God's word,

tried to flee from the Lord's presence by going

(1) down to Joppa, (2) boarding a ship to Tarshish (Jonah 1:3),

and (3) going down to the hold of the ship (v. 5).

Ultimately, he went (4) down to the very bottom of the sea (2:6).

While Jonah descended to the depths of the sea in his disobedience,

the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ,

who obeyed the will of God the Father

even to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:8),

ascended the road to Golgotha.

He went up to the cursed tree, the cross

(Deuteronomy 21:23; Galatians 3:13), and died for us.

‘Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and given Him

the name that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father’

(Philippians 2:9-11).