The Sign of Jonah- A More Direct Interpretation

Matthew 12:39-42
He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a 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 something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here."

I was just considering the story and sign of Jonah again. It seems reasonable that the common interpretation is that Jesus is explicitly saying that he will die, be dead for 3 days, and then be resurrected. Now that I am examining what was said carefully, however, with "The Day of The Lord Signaled In 4 Parts" fresh in mind, I am seeing an alternate interpretation that would actually be more directly aligned with Jonah's experience. Jesus says that "The Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." I am just considering that if one is looking for an interpretation of this that will eliminate sacrifice from the equation and replace it with mercy, which I am, death is not explicitly indicated here and so death is not required in the fulfillment of the sign of the prophet Jonah. Considering Jonah's experience specifically, Jonah did not die but was instead sequestered for 3 days before being returned to dry land at Nineveh, so interpreting that Jesus does not need to die to fulfill this sign is actually more directly in line with the details of the sign itself than interpreting that he must die to fulfill this sign. Jesus' words could be said to have been fulfilled by being in a tomb for 3 days, which we see occurred even in John, the gospel specifically focused on never seeing death (a gospel which notably does not include Jesus saying that he must die and be resurrected, as he says in the other 3). 

The mention of "a huge fish" feels like it provides additional support for the method of resolving this issue which I have proposed, specifically shifting in size (Jesus miniaturizing in this case, and then entering "the temple" which is a recreation of the body of Jesus, but also an effect that seems to be utilized in feeding the masses with few fish (and loaves of  bread)). This would be a way to allow Jesus to be present on the cross (still fulfilling the curse of hanging on a tree), for the body hanging on the cross to be dead (the temple "destroyed"), but for Jesus to live through this (you will never see death). I thought this was interesting, further support for the idea that an alternate solution not only was found in John, mercy rather than sacrifice, but was meant to be found again. This is an outcome that I believe can echo again, and is meant to echo again, with a platform for agreement, possibly in any given year at Good Friday/Easter.
*stompstompstomp*

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