One of the most mysterious things about the Bible is how it all fits together. If it had been written by one guy, and he was a genius, it would be amazing to see how the early books fit neatly into the later ones. But when you understand it was written by more than 35 different authors, from several different cultures and spanning 1500 years, the symmetry and unity of the Bible’s writing is mind-boggling. For example:
” Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.” (Matthew 12:38-41)
Admittedly, the story of Jonah is a head-scratcher. You might read it (I suggest you do…) and wonder, “What is this all about and why is a story like this in the Bible?” But then, several hundred years after Jonah was written, Jesus shows that Jonah unknowingly and prophetically acted out a preview of the crucifixion! The more you prowl around and ponder the Word, the more you discover that the writings are deliberate and intentional.
Amazing! So is the point of both of those accounts: When God tries to get your attention, respond!
FRESH BREAD OF LIFE 