The Fish that Caught a Man

Some supposed "theologians" struggle with the veracity of the book of Jonah because they struggle with accepting the fact that a "great fish" could swallow a man. Of course they could simply accept the testimony of Scripture and believe it happened because the Bible says it happened. They could also accept the evidence that tells us that a great fish can indeed swallow a man.

I found the following two illustrations in the book "Explore The Book" by J. Sidlow Baxter (published 1960)

"In the Daily Mail of December 14th, 1928, Mr. G. H. Henn, a resident of Birmingham, gave the following testimony.

"My own experience was in Birmingham about twenty-five years ago, when the carcase of a whale was displayed for a week on vacant land in Navigation Street, outside New Street station.

I was one of twelve men, who went into its mouth, passed through its throat, and moved about in what was equivalent to a fair-sized room. Its throat was large enough to serve as a door. Obviously it would be quite easy for a whale of this kind to swallow a man." (Explore the Book, p. 152)

Here is another amazing story from the same book.

"In February 1891, the whale-ship Star of the East was in the vicinity of the Falkland Islands, and the look-out sighted a large sperm whale three miles away. Two boats were lowered, and in a short time one of the harpooners was enabled to spear the fish. The second boat attacked the whale, but was upset by the lash of its tail, and the men thrown into the sea, one being drowned, and another, James Bartley, having disappeared, could not be found. The whale was killed, and in a few hours the great body was lying by the ship's side, and the crew was busy with the axes and spades removing the blubber. Yhey worked all day and part of the night. Next day they attached some tackle to the stomach, which was hoisted on deck. The sailors were startled by spasmodic signs of life, and inside was found the missing sailor, doubled up and unconscious. He was laid on the deck and treated to a bath of sea-water which soon revived him; but his mind was not clear, and he was placed in the captain's quarters, where he remained two weeks a raving lunatic. He was kindly and carefully treated by the captain, and by the officers of the ship, and gradually gained possession of his senses. At the end of the third week he had entirely recovered from the shock, and resumed his duties.

"During his sojourn in the whale's stomach Bartley's skin, where exposed to the action of the gastric juice, underwent a striking change. His face, neck, and hands were bleached to a deadly whiteness, and took on the appearance of parchment. Bartley affirms that he would probably have lived inside his house of flesh until he starved, for he lost his senses through fright and not from lack of air." (p. 153)

So, it appears that a great fish can catch a man and he can live to tell about it!

I believe in Jonah 1:17,
Pastor Mike