38 Then some experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign.”
39 He responded, “The people of an evil and unfaithful era look for a miraculous sign. But the only sign they will get is the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 Just as Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up with you at the time of judgment and will condemn you, because they turned to God and changed the way they thought and acted when Jonah spoke his message. But look, someone greater than Jonah is here! 42 The queen from the south will stand up at the time of judgment with you. She will condemn you, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon’s wisdom. But look, someone greater than Solomon is here!
43 “When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it goes through dry places looking for a place to rest. But it doesn’t find any. 44 Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to the home I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean, and in order. 45 Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself. They enter and take up permanent residence there. In the end the condition of that person is worse than it was before. That is what will happen to the evil people of this day.”
Read Matthew 12:38-45 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
During one of the times when Jesus was preaching to the crowds, a group of religious leaders and Pharisees come to Him with a request. These leaders may have been challenged or convicted by what Jesus was saying, but they wanted to see a miraculous sign in order to prove to themselves whether Jesus was truly sent from God.
However, Jesus doesn’t respond by giving them a sign like they were expecting. Instead, Jesus predicts a sign that gives us a clue into how well Jesus knew His life’s mission and how well Jesus knew God’s plan for His life. Jesus responded to these leaders by saying, “The people of an evil and unfaithful era look for a miraculous sign. But the only sign they will get is the sign of the prophet Jonah. Just as Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” (v. 39-40)
Jesus tips His hand in this response by drawing in one of the most unique parallels that He could have: the prophet Jonah. If it were not for Jesus giving this parallel, most everyone would have missed or dismissed the idea that Jonah’s rebellion would become a prophetic picture of the Messiah. Just like Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and nights, this Old Testament event was prophetic of the Messiah being buried for this period of time.
However Jonah being spit up onto dry land is the real miracle that foreshadows Jesus. While the timing of the length of the burial is significant, Jonah’s “resurrection” from the fish is even more significant because it symbolizes Jesus’ resurrection from the earth.
Jesus then continues by saying, “The men of Nineveh will stand up with you at the time of judgment and will condemn you, because they turned to God and changed the way they thought and acted when Jonah spoke his message. But look, someone greater than Jonah is here! The queen from the south will stand up at the time of judgment with you. She will condemn you, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon’s wisdom. But look, someone greater than Solomon is here!” (v. 41-42)
By drawing on two historic examples of faith, Jesus challenges the notion that seeing is the only reason for believing. The men of Nineveh definitely could see Jonah, and they probably could have smelled him as well, but they were not there to witness Jonah’s return to land from the mouth of the fish. The men of Nineveh believed Jonah’s message and changed their lives without needing to see fire from heaven.
It is the same way with the queen from the south. All she had was rumors of Solomon’s wisdom. Based on what she had heard, she made the long journey to visit. She didn’t need to see before believing; she believed and that prompted her to go to a place where she could validate her belief.
In both cases, the examples Jesus gave believed before seeing, and they take the opposite approach that the religious leaders had. The religious leaders and Pharisees chose to not believe unless they saw for themselves – and because they had Jesus in their midst, they will be condemned not only by the two historic examples Jesus gave, but by everyone who has chosen to believe God’s message without needing to see it for themselves beforehand.
We can fall into the same mindset and skepticism that the religious leaders had fallen into, but if we do, we will miss out on being the people God wants us to be. If we choose to walk by faith, and while walking, keep our eyes open to seeing examples of God’s working, we won’t be disappointed.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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