Sign of Jonah
Matt 12:38-42. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”
Luke 11:29-32. As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”
The old testament is a foreshadowing of the new testament. Jonah, of course, is the foreshadowing of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Effectively “dead” for three days in the belly of the whale, Jonah was “resurrected” when the whale spit him out onto the dry land. He then went forth to Nineveh to preach repentance to the people there. They listened to him, believed him, and turned from their sin, saving them from the wrath of God. They did not seek after any signs, but simply believed the words that Jonah spoke.
Jesus is the very Word of God (John 1:1-3). He came to earth to show the Jews the way of salvation. The Jewish leaders of the day did not believe Him. They wanted to see a miraculous sign. The sad thing is, that Jesus had already performed miraculous healings and the feeding of the 5,000 with only a few loaves and fishes. The leaders were blind to it all, either through arrogance, ignorance, or the will of God, but blind nonetheless. These leaders were spiritually “adulterous” as they had drifted away from the true worship of the true God.
Though they sought after a sign, Jesus told them that the only sign they would be given was the sign of Jonah the prophet. As Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so Jesus would be a sign to this generation. Jesus would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (in the grave). To truly “match” the sign of Jonah, Jesus would have to be returned from the grave (resurrected) in order to show the way to salvation.
Jesus called these leaders on their spiritual adultery. They had the word of God in their possession in two forms. First, through the old testament. These Jewish leaders knew the old testament forwards and backwards, but they had drifted away from the spirit of the word and immersed themselves into the law, going so far as to create laws of their own that were outside of the bible. Second, they had the living Word of God standing right in front of them in the form of Jesus Christ. He represented not only a new covenant, but also a return to “spirit” of the old testament – that we should love God and worship Him in truth, and do our best to listen to Him and obey Him.
The queen of the south (Sheba) and the men of Nineveh would rise up with this generation and condemn them. For both Sheba and the men Nineveh at least understood the truth when they heard it. Now something much greater than what they had heard was walking the earth (Jesus), and the Jewish leaders of the day could not see Jesus as the Messiah that He was. Sheba and the men of Nineveh would condemn the Jewish leaders for not being wise enough to know the living Word of God when they had Him standing in their very midst.
Today, we have the word of God given to us in the form of the Bible. Do we believe the Word of God, or are we seeking after signs? Do we need God to do something miraculous in order for us to believe in Him, or is faith through the reading of the word enough for us (Romans 10:17)? Will Sheba and the men of Nineveh point the finger at us along with that “adulterous generation”? Have we drifted away from the Word of God?
Have we drifted away from Jesus?
Luke 11:29-32. As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation at the judgment and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”
The old testament is a foreshadowing of the new testament. Jonah, of course, is the foreshadowing of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Effectively “dead” for three days in the belly of the whale, Jonah was “resurrected” when the whale spit him out onto the dry land. He then went forth to Nineveh to preach repentance to the people there. They listened to him, believed him, and turned from their sin, saving them from the wrath of God. They did not seek after any signs, but simply believed the words that Jonah spoke.
Jesus is the very Word of God (John 1:1-3). He came to earth to show the Jews the way of salvation. The Jewish leaders of the day did not believe Him. They wanted to see a miraculous sign. The sad thing is, that Jesus had already performed miraculous healings and the feeding of the 5,000 with only a few loaves and fishes. The leaders were blind to it all, either through arrogance, ignorance, or the will of God, but blind nonetheless. These leaders were spiritually “adulterous” as they had drifted away from the true worship of the true God.
Though they sought after a sign, Jesus told them that the only sign they would be given was the sign of Jonah the prophet. As Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so Jesus would be a sign to this generation. Jesus would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (in the grave). To truly “match” the sign of Jonah, Jesus would have to be returned from the grave (resurrected) in order to show the way to salvation.
Jesus called these leaders on their spiritual adultery. They had the word of God in their possession in two forms. First, through the old testament. These Jewish leaders knew the old testament forwards and backwards, but they had drifted away from the spirit of the word and immersed themselves into the law, going so far as to create laws of their own that were outside of the bible. Second, they had the living Word of God standing right in front of them in the form of Jesus Christ. He represented not only a new covenant, but also a return to “spirit” of the old testament – that we should love God and worship Him in truth, and do our best to listen to Him and obey Him.
The queen of the south (Sheba) and the men of Nineveh would rise up with this generation and condemn them. For both Sheba and the men Nineveh at least understood the truth when they heard it. Now something much greater than what they had heard was walking the earth (Jesus), and the Jewish leaders of the day could not see Jesus as the Messiah that He was. Sheba and the men of Nineveh would condemn the Jewish leaders for not being wise enough to know the living Word of God when they had Him standing in their very midst.
Today, we have the word of God given to us in the form of the Bible. Do we believe the Word of God, or are we seeking after signs? Do we need God to do something miraculous in order for us to believe in Him, or is faith through the reading of the word enough for us (Romans 10:17)? Will Sheba and the men of Nineveh point the finger at us along with that “adulterous generation”? Have we drifted away from the Word of God?
Have we drifted away from Jesus?
posted by MarkD at 12:10 PM
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