The answer is: Jonah

Matt 12:38-39 - Referring to the three days and nights that Jonah has spent in the belly of the great fish

When the Scribes and Pharisees demanded a sign from Jesus, His reference to Jonah is wonderfully rich in meaning. We often remember Jonah as the reluctant prophet who finds himself in an extraordinary predicament—swallowed by a great fish, spent three days in darkness and then, astonishingly, resuscitates to deliver God's message to the people of Nineveh. Jesus invoked Jonah’s story as more than just a miraculous event; it symbolizes redemption and the power of second chances.

Here’s a fun piece of trivia: the Hebrew name for Jonah, “Yonah”, means “dove.” This is significant, as birds often symbolize peace and divine favor. In another layer, the three days and nights Jonah spent in the belly of the fish foreshadows Jesus’s own three days in the tomb. Just as Jonah emerged to fulfill his mission, Jesus rose, underscoring a transformative continuity between different journeys and messages.

This connection also links back to how signs function in biblical narratives. Rather than just astonishing miracles or supernatural occurrences, they serve eloquent purposes: reflecting profound truths, illustrating human dilemmas, or even prompts for introspection about faith and belief.

Moreover, the call for signs reveals an ongoing theme throughout the Gospels—human inclination to demand immediate proof instead of contemplating deeper spiritual truths, a lesson that resonates with audiences across ages. Jonah's story ultimately invites us into a space of reflection, reminding us that faith often requires trusting in what one cannot see. How cool is that?