38Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
39He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For 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. 41The 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 something greater than Jonah is here. 42The 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 something greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:38-42)
Thoughts: The people not only want credentials, they also want a magic show. The Pharisees do not want to believe, so they want more evidence. For some people there is never evidence enough. Jesus had already healed the deaf, the blind, the lame, the leper.
Jesus, however does point to a sign, a symbolic sign of Jonah. Jonah was thrown overboard during a hurricane-type storm. He was as good as dead. But God saved him- through a miraculous fish. It was unbelievable- such things do not happen. But the fish spit Jonah up on the land where he lived to serve God. The sign Jesus points to is his death, 3-day burial, and resurrection. This is the greatest sign, and really the only sign necessary.
The reaction of the people of Nineveh and later the Queen of the South is to listen and repent. But the Pharisees, who asked for a sign, refused to listen and only hardened their hearts more to crucify Christ and then not believe the sign of the resurrection.
Many want Jesus to prove Himself to them. They want to see and have strong evidence more than faith. But God wants us to believe in Him even if we cannot fully understand or measure His presence. God does answer prayers, shows His mercy and love daily. The Spirit moves strongly through providence. We should not demand a sign, but it is not wrong to see God move and appreciate it. The basis of our belief, however, is not any sign, but faith in God.
Jesus, however does point to a sign, a symbolic sign of Jonah. Jonah was thrown overboard during a hurricane-type storm. He was as good as dead. But God saved him- through a miraculous fish. It was unbelievable- such things do not happen. But the fish spit Jonah up on the land where he lived to serve God. The sign Jesus points to is his death, 3-day burial, and resurrection. This is the greatest sign, and really the only sign necessary.
The reaction of the people of Nineveh and later the Queen of the South is to listen and repent. But the Pharisees, who asked for a sign, refused to listen and only hardened their hearts more to crucify Christ and then not believe the sign of the resurrection.
Many want Jesus to prove Himself to them. They want to see and have strong evidence more than faith. But God wants us to believe in Him even if we cannot fully understand or measure His presence. God does answer prayers, shows His mercy and love daily. The Spirit moves strongly through providence. We should not demand a sign, but it is not wrong to see God move and appreciate it. The basis of our belief, however, is not any sign, but faith in God.
Prayer: Lord, let me live by faith and not by sight. Let me see you at work, but let me not demand a sign in order to believe.
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