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.

226. 關於這些, 需要按一定的順序來論證。

(1)沒有教義的情況下, 聖言無法被理解。

這是因為在其文字意義中, 聖言全由對應構成, 並沒有其它什麼, 為的是使其同時持有屬靈和屬天之意, 每一個字都是屬靈和屬天意思的容器和支撐。這就是為何在文字意義中, 神性真理難得暴露, 而是被蓋住。於是, 它們被稱為真理的表象, 在很多情況下使其適於簡單的人們來理解, 他們只關注於眼前所見, 不會將他們的關注點提升到眼見之上。有一些甚至看起來矛盾, 但若在屬靈之光下看聖言, 實際上並無矛盾。此外, 在先知書的一些章節中, 還有將地名與人名積聚一起, 由此得不出什麼特別含義。聖言就其文字意義而言, 看起來就是如此, 這就容易證明聖言在沒有教義的情況下無法被理解。

[2]讓我們引用一些例子來說明。經上說, 耶和華後悔(出埃及記32:12, 14; 約拿書3:9; 4:2); 也說耶和華不後悔(民數記23:19;撒母耳記上15:29)。若無教義, 以上陳述就無法調和。還說, 耶和華察罰罪愆, 從父親到兒子,到三四代(民數記14:18)。又說, 父親不可因兒子的緣故而被處死, 兒女也不可因父親的緣故而被處死∶各人只要各因自己的罪而被處死(申命記24:16)。教義能夠說明這些說法並不衝突, 而是和諧一致的。

[3]耶穌說:"你們祈求, 就給你們; 尋找, 就尋見; 叩門, 就給你們開門"(馬太福音7:7-8; 21:21-22)。

如果沒有教義, 人們會相信各人會得到凡他所求的。然後, 我們從教義可知, 但凡某人在主裡面所求的, 得蒙應許。也因如此, 主教導說:"你們若常在我裡面, 我的話也常在你們裡面, 凡你們所願意的, 祈求就給你們成就"(約翰福音15:7)。

[4]主說:"貧窮的有福了, 因為上帝的國是你們的"(路加福音6:20)。

倘若沒有教義, 人們會認為天國是為窮人而非富人而設的。然而教義指示我們說:這是指心靈的貧窮, 因此主還說:"心靈貧窮的人有福了, 因為天國是他們的"(馬太福音5:3)。

[5]主還進一步說:"你們不要論斷人, 免得你們被論斷。因為你們怎樣論斷人, 也必怎樣被論斷"(馬太福音7:1-2;路加福音6:37)。

倘若沒有教義, 無論是誰都會被誘導而堅稱:我們不應當論斷惡人為惡。然而教義告訴我們:可以論斷, 只要我們行事公義。因為主說:總要按公義判斷(與論斷同一詞, judge或judgement)(約翰福音7:24)。

[6]耶穌說:"但你們不要受老師的稱呼, 因為只有一位是你們的老師, 就是基督; 也不要稱呼地上的人為父, 因為只有一位是你們的父, 就是在天上的父; 也不要受師傅的稱呼, 因為只有一位是

你們的師傅, 就是基督"(馬太福音23:8-10)。

若無教義, 這意味著我們不要稱任何人為老師,父親和師傅。然而教義告訴我們, 我們可以在屬世上這樣做, 但在屬靈上不可如此。

[7]耶穌跟門徒們說:"人子坐在祂榮耀的寶座上, 你們也要坐在十二個寶座上, 審判以色列十二個支派"(馬太福音19:28)。

或許有人從這些話推想, 主的門徒們也會實行審判, 但事實上他們不能審判誰。因此教義以事實來揭示這個奧秘, 唯有主(祂是全知的, 知道萬人的心思)能夠並將成為審判者。祂的十二位門徒表示教會——關於一切真理與良善, 理與善由主通過聖言賦予教會。在此基礎上, 教義推斷出, 是十二門徒所代表的良善與真理將要審判萬人, 正如主在(約翰福音3:17-18; 12:47-48)。

聖言中還有很多類似的章節, 明顯地說明:沒有教義, 聖言無法被理解。