We sang an almost rousing rendition of "I have work enough to do" ere the sun goes down.
We then discussed whether the Jonah story was just a story or could possibly be real. We were split 50/50 going into the discussion but after weighing some of the possibilities.
1) A whale can swallow a person whole.
2) It happened in NEMO!
3) Apparently some guy in the 1600's was lost from a ship, and then later found alive in a whale captured on a whaling ship.
4) 3 days could actually be just about 24 hours and a couple seconds so shorter than you think. We reminded ourselves that Christ died and was resurrected in 3 days - Friday death, Sunday morning resurrection.
5) Christ referenced Jonah as he spoke of resurrection so there is something there.
6) If he died and then was coughed up, he could have been brought back to life.
7) Apparently online sources say a whale won't kick their gastric juices into full force until what it has taken in is dead.
8) Apparently a whale still brings some air into its stomach when it breaths so although it would have been dark and uncomfortable, Jonah could have kept alive.
So that said, we don't have a definitive answer, but we did enjoy using our best and brightest ideas to come up with how it may be more than just a cool story in the bible.
And regardless of the details of the story the message of the day was to remember the power that a repentant Jonah had on the people of Ninevah - his return brought about a miracle of repentance.
