Three Days and Three Nights

Douglas Porter

Douglas Porter, Three Days and Three Nights, 2021, Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 24 inches.

At first glance, one assumes that Douglas Porter’s Three Days and Three Nights is an iconic rendition of Jonah and the Whale. But closer examination shows the viewer a cross-nimbed, triumphant Christ standing on the gates of hell within the belly of the whale. Above Christ, a dove and vine motif are superimposed over the whale’s flukes, as the great creature descends into the watery depths. 

The image references Matthew 12:40, where the Pharisees confront Jesus and demand that he give them a sign. Jesus declares that the only sign their generation will receive is the sign of Jonah — that “as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man [Jesus himself] will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

However, the presence of the dove and vine, which are not part of the literal narrative of either the story of Jonah or the story of the Pharisees asking Christ for a sign, indicate that Porter’s painting is more than just an illustration. It is about the “signs” that God gives us that point towards Him. The “sign of Jonah” portrayed here reminds us that even in the deepest encounters with death, the power to restore life is very much in the hands of God. The theme of  being brought safely through the waters is a pattern throughout the biblical narratives: Noah and his family are rescued from the Flood, the children of Israel escape centuries of enslavement by walking through the Red Sea, and a new generation of Israelites cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land. The sign of passing through water also  invokes the experience of baptism in which believers both physically and spiritually emerge from water, symbolizing the passage from the watery depths of death to new life with Christ.

God uses the elements of our world to teach us about Himself. He uses time as a medium that lets us exercise our free will while allowing us the opportunity to clarify our understanding of God. He often uses His physical creations in this process of illumination to bring both terror and great joy. And our Creator uses the physical world, His very own creations, to point to the world of eternity through sacramentalism, or to create divinely inspired symbols that reach us through the stories of sub-creators often in the form of literature, music, or the visual arts.

Additional Information & Resources

DOUGlas PORTER

Douglas Porter is largely a self-taught artist with a smattering of courses from several institutions. He lives with his wife, Jane, in Orillia, Ontario. In addition to his work in painting, he has completed a number of projects in liturgical and video art.

Christa Issler