The Sign of Jonah, 12:38-42
38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” 39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:38–43 NIV)
After Jesus' critics have denied the authenticity of his divine power in healing and exorcism, they have the audacity to come and ask him to give them a miraculous "sign" that would prove he was sent by God. What did they think they had been seeing day after day but such signs?
Since they were so obviously insincere, Jesus simply refused to oblige them with any additional "proof." But he did give them an additional warning. There would be one more truly great sign: the sign of Jonah.
What did Jesus mean by "the sign of the prophet Jonah"? The first part of his explanation is that, as Jonah was three days in the belly of the great fish and afterwards emerge alive, he himself would spend parts of three days and nights in the grave and afterwards emerge alive. His death and resurrection would be the one great sign that he would give them.
But he doesn't stop at this point. the sign if not just the "sign of Jonah," but "the sign of the prophet Jonah." After emerging alive from three days in the belly of the great fish, Jonah went and prophesied to the wicked people of Nineveh, and they repented! Admittedly, Jesus death and resurrection, which constitute the great sign, have not yet occurred. But Jesus anticipates the fact that hard-hearted critics of his ministry will refuse to repent and believe, even after being confronted by this great sign. So he cites two stories from the scripture of pagans who repented: the men of Nineveh who repented at Jonah's preaching, and the queen of Sheba who came from the ends of the earth, because she recognized the great wisdom of Solomon. But Jesus is greater than both Jonah and Solomon, and yet these Pharisees refuse to repent and believe. Thus at the last judgment, these two pagan groups will pass judgment on these sanctimonious and proud custodians of the law of Moses for not repenting at the preaching, miracles, death and resurrection of Jesus, who is much greater than Jonah or Solomon.
How about you and me? We live 2000 years after the advent of the Son of God. We have not only his teachings and miracles, his death and resurrection, but also the New Testament writings and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us understand and apply the scriptures. How do we respond to Jesus every day? Is every day for you a fresh encounter with this Son of David and Son of Man? Is "repentance" in the sense of spiritual renewal your daily experience? If not, why not? God's mercies are "new every morning." And those "mercies" are mediated through our daily contact with Jesus through reading the Bible and praying.
Since they were so obviously insincere, Jesus simply refused to oblige them with any additional "proof." But he did give them an additional warning. There would be one more truly great sign: the sign of Jonah.
What did Jesus mean by "the sign of the prophet Jonah"? The first part of his explanation is that, as Jonah was three days in the belly of the great fish and afterwards emerge alive, he himself would spend parts of three days and nights in the grave and afterwards emerge alive. His death and resurrection would be the one great sign that he would give them.
But he doesn't stop at this point. the sign if not just the "sign of Jonah," but "the sign of the prophet Jonah." After emerging alive from three days in the belly of the great fish, Jonah went and prophesied to the wicked people of Nineveh, and they repented! Admittedly, Jesus death and resurrection, which constitute the great sign, have not yet occurred. But Jesus anticipates the fact that hard-hearted critics of his ministry will refuse to repent and believe, even after being confronted by this great sign. So he cites two stories from the scripture of pagans who repented: the men of Nineveh who repented at Jonah's preaching, and the queen of Sheba who came from the ends of the earth, because she recognized the great wisdom of Solomon. But Jesus is greater than both Jonah and Solomon, and yet these Pharisees refuse to repent and believe. Thus at the last judgment, these two pagan groups will pass judgment on these sanctimonious and proud custodians of the law of Moses for not repenting at the preaching, miracles, death and resurrection of Jesus, who is much greater than Jonah or Solomon.
How about you and me? We live 2000 years after the advent of the Son of God. We have not only his teachings and miracles, his death and resurrection, but also the New Testament writings and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us understand and apply the scriptures. How do we respond to Jesus every day? Is every day for you a fresh encounter with this Son of David and Son of Man? Is "repentance" in the sense of spiritual renewal your daily experience? If not, why not? God's mercies are "new every morning." And those "mercies" are mediated through our daily contact with Jesus through reading the Bible and praying.
Check back tomorrow (Friday) for the next segment of Matthew 12.
