Christians believe this because Christ himself made the connection:
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jonah
Yes Jonah is important , it shows that you can not run away from god.
1. Being angry at God's person and His grace to others isn't a reason for disobeying Him. Jonah 4:2 2. The book of Jonah prefigures the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Luke 11:30: For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. Matt. 12:40: For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Luke 11:32: The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. Alternate view (BTW, it wasn't a whale): God loves all persons, even one's enemies such as the people of Nineveh, and salvation is available to all persons.
ANSWER: Jonah was in the belly of the sea creature for 3 days and 3 nights, the same length of time Christ was in the belly of the earth (Matthew 12:40, Jonah 1:17). This was the only sign given to the Pharisees proving that Christ was the Messiah.
I believe "Veggietales" has one out.
17 i believe
As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so Jesus was three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth
At first Jonah's relationship with God wasn't very good because God asked him to go to a city that Jonah did not want to go to so for punishment since he disobeyed God's command he was swallowed by a great fish(whale), finally Jonah went to that city and there relationship grew and was finally... how it was suppose to be! (You can get all of these answers and many other stories from the Bible, God's Word!) P.S. I am a true believer of the Bible and I also believe in Jesus Christ, the one true king.
One connection Jonah has with Jesus Christ is that in Matthew 12:38-40 is that some of the scribes and Pharisees said, "Teacher, we want a sign from you". But Jesus answered, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth".
Like all Bible stories we can learn something from Jonah about God and man. From the story of Jonah we can see: God is sovereign, God is patient with mankind, God is long suffering, mankind is indifferent to the suffering of others, mankind is not obedient to God
The parable of Christ's death and resurrection.
Jonah comes before Micah, And the book of Jonah is also titled Jonah.