Have you ever been reading the Old Testament and suddenly felt like you'd heard this story before? That happened to me in Jonah 1. A boat. A violent storm. Men fearing for their lives. And someone asleep in the middle of it all. Sound familiar? It should ... because centuries later, Jesus' disciples would find themselves in almost the exact same scene.
Have you ever been reading the Old Testament and suddenly felt like you'd heard this story before? That happened to me in Jonah 1.
A boat.
A violent storm.
Men fearing for their lives.
And someone asleep in the middle of it all.
Sound familiar? It should ... because centuries later, Jesus' disciples would find themselves in almost the exact same scene.
This week in the Jonah Bible Study Journal, we're pausing to look at Jonah through a different lens - as a type of Christ. A type is simply an Old Testament person or event that foreshadows Jesus and His coming work. Jonah is one of the most striking examples. Jesus Himself draws the comparison in Matthew 12, calling His death and resurrection "the sign of the prophet Jonah."
But the parallels run even deeper than that one reference. And Jonah chapter 1 is full of them, once you know to look.
The journal invites you to read Jonah 1 alongside Mark 4:35–41 - the account of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Reading two passages side by side like this is one of the most rewarding things you can do as a Bible student. You simply ask the same questions of each text and let the answers speak to each other.
Some great places to start: Who is sleeping, and why? How do they respond when woken? What are the people around them doing - and how does that change when the storm does? Write down everything you notice, even if you're not sure what to do with it yet. The observations always lead somewhere.
As you work through these prompts, jot down your observations in your journal — specific verses, phrases that catch your attention, things that feel surprising or significant. You can always go back and connect the dots later. The goal right now is just to notice.
Take a look inside my journal here ...
What emerges when you place these two stories side by side is something woven into Scripture with intention ... a pattern that keeps asking the same question:
Who is this man?
Both accounts show a man at peace while the sea rages around him. Both show a group of frightened companions who have reached the end of their own resources. In both stories, the sleeping man is woken and the sea grows calm. And in both stories, the people around him are left asking a version of the same question.
He isn't the one who calms the storm - he's thrown into it. And yet, even in that imperfect parallel, something is being told. There's a man whose presence on the boat shapes everything that happens. There's a calm that comes, one way or another. And there are people who end up worshipping the God of heaven and earth.
So settle in with your journal this week, open to Mark 4 alongside Jonah 1, and let the two stories speak to each other. You might be surprised how much they have to say.
Studying through the Jonah Bible Study Journal? We'd love to see what you're discovering — tag us on Instagram (#jonahbiblestudyjournal) or message us!
