In the third chapter of the Book of Jonah, Jonah finally reaches Nineveh, and starts preaching repentance and reformation to the people there. And... they listen! Even the King of Assyria listens!

The inner meaning of the story is pretty close to the surface here, and there's important symbolism. Swedenborg summarizes the chapter's meaning in this one sentence:

"The nations, hearing from the Word of God about their sins, and that they would perish, were converted after repenting, and were heard by the Lord, and saved." (The Inner Meaning of the Prophets and Psalms 213)

Rev. George McCurdy, in his exegesis of this chapter, offers this summary:

The great city of Nineveh has many spiritual representations. The world saw Nineveh as a mighty nation, but in the eyes of the Lord, it represented the shallowness and weakness (death) of false doctrines, contrived beliefs confirmed by the proprium (self love), the fallacies of the senses, and the unenlightened understanding that spawns spiritual ignorance.

The Lord’s mercy and love for all prompted Him not only to send His message to Nineveh, but to ensure that it would be preserved for eternity. Jonah’s call to "arise and go" preach to Nineveh is a call for spiritual renewal. It is a call for repentance. The fasting, sackcloth, and ashes symbolize a call to be aware that "where there is no truth, there is no church."

Where the Word is closed, and not loved, there is a loss of conjunction with the Divine resources. The fasting of man and beast symbolizes a need for the spiritual and natural appetites to come to the Lord for that "bread which comes down from heaven." The Ninevites giving up their natural food and drink represents their turning away from "as-of-self" concepts and reminds all who read and hear the Word of the Lord to rely on heavenly manna.

"Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance…" (Isaiah 55:2)

The king sitting in ashes and mourning represents a sorrowful attitude toward "the remains of the fire of self-love." Repentance involves self-examination, making oneself guilty for the sins and evils committed, asking the Lord for His help, and desiring to attain a new life.

As we mull over this concept, think about the Lord’s preaching on earth. As He went about His mission, He often used these words: "You have heard it said of old… but I say unto you…" Putting aside human traditions and taking on the Lord’s teachings is an ongoing effort. Jonah was told to preach the words of the Lord. He was not to make things up from his memory. He was to be a true and faithful prophet of the Lord’s ways.

Here's a link to an interesting (audio) sermon on this chapter, by Rev. Todd Beiswenger.

Rev. Martin Pennington suggests two explanatory passages from Swedenborg's theological writings:

"Forty days means a period of temptation combats or severe change." (Arcana Coelestia 730)

"A fast represents those who are in a state of unhappiness when good is no longer joined to the truths." (Arcana Coelestia 9182[10])

Other references of interest listed by Rev. McCurdy include:

"As ‘forty’ signified what is full or complete… forty signifies what is complete in respect to instruction and influx… for this reason it was said by Jonah to the Ninevites that ‘the city would be overthrown after forty days" (Jonah 3:4) (Arcana Coelestia 9437[2])

"By being clothed in sackcloth is signified mourning on account of the vastated truth in the church; for garments signify truths; and therefore, to be clothed in sackcloth, which is not a garment, signifies mourning that there is no truth; and where there is no truth, there is no church." Jonah 3:5-6 is cited. (Apocalypse Revealed 492)

"…the rite of putting sackcloth on the loins to testify…mourning may be seen from the historic and prophetic parts of the Word, as in… Jonah 3:5-8… for a sign representative of mourning over the evil on account of which Nineveh was to perish; thus over destroyed good." (Arcana Coelestia 4779[2])

"From the signification of garments it is also manifest why they rent their garments, when any one spoke against the Divine truth of the Word… and why, on account of transgressions against Divine truths, they put off their garments, and put on sackcloth." Jonah 3:5, 6, and 8 are cited. (Apocalypse Revealed 166)

"That ‘ashes’ denote falsity, may be confirmed from passages where another word for ‘ashes (cinis)’ is used, for these ashes have a like origin…" Jonah 3:6 is cited. (Arcana Coelestia 7520)

"…by ‘ashes’ in the opposite sense, namely, what is condemned that remains after the burning from the fire of self love. This is signified by ‘the ashes’ which they carried on the head, and in which they rolled themselves when bewailing their sins." Jonah 3:6 is cited. (Arcana Coelestia 9723)

"In the spiritual sense by kings those who are in truths are signified, by the great ones those who are in goods, by the rich those that are in the knowledge of good, by the mighty they that are in erudition, by servants they that are in such things from others, and thus from memory, and by freemen they that are in such things from themselves…" Jonah 3:7 is cited. (Apocalypse Revealed 337)

"The interior good and also the interior evil…are signified by ‘man,’ are those which are of the intention or end, for the intention or end is the inmost of man; but the exterior good and also the exterior evil which are signified by ‘beast,’ are those which are of the thought, and of the consequent action when nothing stands in the way…By ‘beast,’…in respect to the external or natural man, a man is nothing else than a beast, for he takes delight in the like cupidities and pleasures, as also in the like appetites and sense…Therefore… from a holy rite it was commanded by the king of Nineveh, that both man and beast were to fast, and were to be covered with sackcloth (Jonah 3:7, 8)." (Arcana Coelestia 7523)

"… in the spiritual world a man’s affections appear at a distance like beasts… and beasts, viewed in themselves, are nothing but forms of natural affections… By man and beasts together is signified man as to spiritual and natural affection, in the following passages… Jonah 3:7, 8…" (Apocalypse Revealed 567)

"Here ‘webs’ and ‘garments’ are predicated of things of the understanding, that is, of the thought; ‘iniquity’ and ‘violence,’ of things of the will, that is, of works. In Jonah 3:8… the ‘evil way’ is predicated of falsities, which are of the understanding; and ‘violence,’ which are of the will." (Arcana Coelestia 623[2])

"…the ‘wrath of anger’ is attributed to Jehovah, and consequently ‘repentance.’" (Arcana Coelestia 588[2])

"…the Word is such in the sense of the letter, it may be evident that it cannot be understood without doctrine. But let examples illustrate this. It is said that Jehovah repenteth (Jonah 3:9; 4:2), and it is also said that Jehovah repenteth not (Num. 23:19…): without doctrine these statements do not agree." (Teachings Regarding the Sacred Scripture 51)

"In these passages (Jonah 3:9,10) Jehovah is said to have ‘repented,’ when yet it cannot be that He repents, because He knows all things before He does them; from which it is evident that by ‘repenting’ is signified mercy." (Arcana Coelestia 10441[2-4])

Finally, here's a link to Rev. McCurdy's study guide for the Book of Jonah, which is available for free as a .pdf, for your use.

566. To this I will append the following accounts:

An argument arose among some spirits as to whether it is possible for someone to see a doctrinal, theological truth in the Word without doing so from the Lord. They all agreed that no one could without doing so from God, because "a person can obtain nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven" (John 3:27). Thus they were arguing over whether anyone could do so without directly approaching the Lord. Spirits on one side said that the Lord must be approached directly because He embodies the Word. Spirits on the other side said that doctrinal truth may be seen when one approaches God the Father directly. The argument therefore came down to this primarily, whether any Christian might approach God the Father directly and so climb up above the Lord, or whether this would be an improper and reckless act of arrogance and audacity, because the Lord says that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).

They left this point, however, and said that a person could see doctrinal truth in the Word by the use of his own natural sight. But this point, too, was rejected. Therefore they insisted that those people could see it who pray to God the Father. Something from the Word was accordingly read to them, and then kneeling they prayed for God the Father to enlighten them. And in response to the words read to them from the Word, they said that such and such was the truth in them, though what they said was false. This experiment was repeated several times until they tired of it. Finally they confessed that it was not possible. Meanwhile the spirits on the other side, who approached the Lord directly, kept seeing the truths and informing them of them.

[2] After this argument thus came to an end, some spirits rose up from a pit who looked at first like locusts, but afterward as human. They were people who in the world had prayed to the Father and convinced themselves of justification by faith alone. They said that they saw with a clear sight and also from the Word that a person is justified by faith alone apart from works of the Law. They were asked what faith that was. They replied, "Faith in God the Father." But after they had been examined, they were told from heaven that they did not know even one doctrinal truth from the Word. At that they retorted that still they saw it clearly. They were then told that they saw it in an illusory light.

"What is an illusory light?" they asked.

They were informed that an illusory light is the light of a defense of falsity, and that that light corresponded to the kind of light had by owls and bats, for which darkness is light, and light darkness. They had this confirmed for them by the fact that when they looked upward to heaven, where real light is found, they saw darkness, and when they looked downward into the pit from where they had come, they saw light.

[3] Incensed at this confirmation, the spirits said that light and dark are therefore not something real, but are only conditions of the eye that cause people to say that light is light and that dark is dark.

They were shown, however, that theirs was an illusory light, namely, the light of a defense of falsity, and that their light was only an activity of their minds arising from the fire of their lusts, not unlike the light of cats, whose eyes in storerooms at night look like candles because of their burning appetite for rats and mice.

Hearing this, the spirits angrily said that they were not cats, or even like cats, because they could see if they wished. But because they were afraid to be asked why they did not wish to, they left and descended into their pit and into their own light.

The inhabitants there and others like them are also called owls and bats.

[4] When those spirits reached their fellows in the pit and told them that angels had said that they did not know any doctrinal truth, not even one, and that they had therefore called them bats and owls, a tumult arose there. And their fellows said, "We will pray to the Lord to be allowed to ascend, and we will clearly show that we have many doctrinal truths, which even archangels will acknowledge."

Then, because they prayed to the Lord, they were given permission, and as many as three hundred of them ascended. And on emerging above ground they said, "In the world we were celebrated and renowned, because we knew and taught the mysteries of justification by faith alone, and from our proofs we gained not only a clear sight, but also as it were brilliant flashes of light, as we continue to do currently in our chambers. And yet we have been told by our comrades who were in your company that this light is not light but darkness, because, as you said, we do not have any doctrinal truth from the Word.

"We know that every one of the Word's truths shines, and we have believed that our flashes of light come from them when we are deeply pondering our mysteries. We will show, therefore that we possess a great abundance of truths from the Word."

So they said, "Have we not this truth, that there is a Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and that people must believe in the Trinity?

"Have we not this truth, that Christ is our Redeemer and Savior?

"Have we not this truth, that Christ alone is righteousness, and that He alone possess merit, and that any person who wishes to ascribe any of His merit and righteousness to himself is unrighteous and impious?

"Have we not this truth, that no mortal can do any spiritual good of himself, but that all good that is good in itself comes from God?

"Have we not this truth, that there is such a thing as merit-seeking good and also hypocritical good, and that these goods are evil?

"Have we not this truth, that no one can, by his own power, contribute anything to his salvation?

"Have we not this truth, that works of charity must still be done?

"Have we not this truth, that there is such a thing as faith, that people must believe, and that everyone has life in the measure of his belief? And so, too, many other truths from the Word.

"Who of you can deny any of these truths? And yet you have said that in our deliberations we do not have any truth, not even one. Have you not cast such accusations at us undeservedly?"

[5] But they were told in reply then, "Everything that you have cited is, in itself, true, but you have falsified those truths by using them to support a false principle, and therefore with you and in you they are truths falsified - truths which derive from the false principle the character of being themselves false.

"We will also demonstrate the reality of this visibly. Not far from here there is a place where light flows in directly from heaven. At the center of it is a table. When a piece of paper is placed on it on which a truth from the Word has been written, the piece of paper shines like a star because of the truth written on it. Write, therefore, your truths on a piece of paper and have it placed on the table, and you will see."

They did so and gave the piece of paper to a guard, who placed it on the table and said to them, "Move back and keep your eyes on the table."

So they moved back and watched, and lo, the piece of paper shone like a star.

Then the guard said, "You see that the things you wrote on the piece of paper are true. But come nearer and fix your gaze on the piece of paper."

They did so, and suddenly then the light disappeared and the piece of paper turned black, as though covered with the soot of a furnace.

And speaking again the guard said, "Touch the paper with your hands, but be careful not to touch the writing."

And when they did as bidden, a flame erupted and consumed the paper.

On seeing this the spirits fled away. And they were told, "If you had touched the writing, you would have heard a sharp report and burned your fingers."

Some bystanders then told them from behind, "You have seen now that the truths you abused to support the mysteries of your idea of justification are true in themselves, but in you are truths falsified.

The spirits then looked up, and the sky appeared to them as though blood-red, and after that as black. Moreover, they themselves appeared to the eyes of angelic spirits, some as bats, some as barn owls, some as moles, and some as eagle owls. And they fled away into their darkness, which to their eyes shone with an illusory light.

[6] The angelic spirits who were present were astonished, because they had not known anything about that place and table before. And then a voice spoke to them from the southern zone, saying, "Come over here, and you will see something even more marvelous."

So they went, and entered into a room whose walls shone as though with gold, and they saw a table there also, on which lay a copy of the Word, surrounded with precious stones in a heavenly pattern.

An angelic guard then said, "When the Word is opened, a beam of light radiates from it, of indescribable brilliance, and at the same time then a rainbow emanating from the precious stones appears above and around the Word. When an angel from the third heaven comes here and views the open Word, a multicolored rainbow appears above and around the Word against a red background. When an angel from the second heaven comes here and views it, the rainbow appears against a blue background. When an angel from the lowest heaven comes and views it, the rainbow appears against a white background. And when a good spirit comes and views it, a variegated light appears as though of marble."

The reality of this was also visibly shown to them.

The angelic guard said further, "If someone comes here who has falsified the Word, then first the radiance vanishes, and if he draws near and fixes his eyes on the Word, it becomes surrounded as though by blood, and he is warned to leave because he is in danger."

[7] One of the spirits, however, who in the world had been a leading authority on the doctrine of faith alone, boldly came forward and said, "When I was in the world I did not falsify the Word. Along with faith I also extolled charity, and I taught that a person is renewed, regenerated and sanctified in a state of faith in which he practices charity and its works. I said, too, that faith is not possible by itself, that is, without good works, as a tree is not possible without its fruit, the sun without its light, or fire without its warmth. Moreover, I also faulted those who said that good works are not necessary, and I stressed as well the importance of the Ten Commandments and also repentance. Thus in a marvelous way I applied everything in the Word to our article on faith, which I even so determined and showed to be alone saving."

Trusting in his assertion that he had not falsified the Word, the spirit went over to the table, and despite the angel's warning, touched the Word. And suddenly then fire and smoke poured from the Word, and there was an explosion and loud crash, which hurled the spirit to a corner of the room, and he lay there for a time as though dead.

The angelic spirits were surprised at this, but they were told that although that notable more than others had extolled the goods of charity as emanating from faith, still he meant only public works called moral and civic, which have to be done for the sake of the world and success in it, but not any of the works that must be done for God's sake and for the sake of salvation. Moreover they were told that he also substituted for those works the invisible works of the Holy Spirit of which a person is not at all aware, which are engendered in the act of faith in a state of faith.

[8] The angelic spirits then talked together about falsification of the Word, and they agreed that to falsify the Word is to take truths from it and use them to support falsities, which is to take them out of the Word and away from it and slay them. As for example, if someone takes this truth from the Word, that the neighbor is to be loved, and that good must be done to him out of a love for him for God's sake and for the sake of eternal life, and if he then establishes that it must be done, but not for the sake of salvation, because every good done by man is not good, then he takes that truth out of the Word and away from it and butchers it. For the Lord in His Word enjoins on everyone who wishes to be saved to do good to the neighbor as though of himself, and yet to believe that it comes from the Lord.