Jesus is asked for a sign and He refers to the life of Jonah as a sign of his authority. As we unpack this idea we realize how fitting the life of Jonah is for the life of Jesus. Jonah takes responsibility for the sailors and offers his life for their salvation. But the fish that had swallowed him can't keep him in and throws him up on land after three days. Likewise Jesus takes responsibility for mankind and offers his life for their salvation and he is offered up to the Romans who kill him. But the tomb can't keep him and symbolically vomits him out after three days and His life continues.
SHOW NOTES
The Sign of Jonah
38 One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.”
The question of Jesus authority is centered on his ability to forgive sin. This authority is mentioned in 9:4- 7; 10:1, 12:38, 16:1, 19, 28:18. When Jesus says to his disciples, “All authority has been given me.” He is not talking in generalities but specifically about his authority to forgive sin. This was the central issue about Jesus’ divinity in Matthew. The Jews did not expect the Messiah to be divine but an empowered human leader like king David and king Solomon. Jesus is revealing he is God by forgiving sin. Jesus has already demonstrated this ability when he pronounced the paralyzed man forgiven and proved his ability by healing him (9:1-7). With this evidence the Pharisees are again asking for a miracle. It is proof of their unbelief in the divinity of Jesus.
39 But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
This generation is adulterous because his miracles are the evidence of his divinity and they refused this evidence. They will instead plan the death of Jesus because he does not meet their false expectations of Messiah and threatens the temple economy with his unilateral forgiveness.
Jonah is the sign Jesus gives. Jonah took responsibility for the storm and asked the sailors to throw him overboard. Despite his shortcomings and bad attitudes Jonah is honorable in this respect. Some suggest he preferred death to bringing salvation to his hated enemy the Ninevites. Whatever his motivation, Jonah prefigures Jesus taking responsibility for the salvation of the world by laying down his life. The religious leaders asked Pilate to throw Jesus “overboard” into the sea of death. As the great fish could not digest Jonah and vomited him up, so death could not “digest” Jesus and he emerged from death after three days.
Jonah was sent to bring the love of God to the Assyrians, a powerful pagan empire. Jesus came to bring the love of God to the empire of this world. They had parallel responsibilities. Jonah did not understand his mission, but the Assyrians did. Jesus understood his mission, but his hearers did not.
41 “The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.
42 The queen of Sheba will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.
In both examples Jesus identifies the problem as refusal to repent. It was not ignorance or misunderstanding or lack of acceptance that was the problem. It was rebellion. Jesus will indict his generation repeatedly because they refused him (John 5:40; Matthew 23:34-39) and they will not repent of their hardness of heart which means they have no mercy in their hearts for others.
43 “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but findingnone. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. 45 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation.”
Exorcisms can be reversed and then the person is worse off. Judas is an example of this possibility. Jesus called him to unselfish service and Judas healed the sick and cast out demons as he was empowered to do so. Then the demon of selfishness came back and found more space and brought some fellow demons with him and they together destroyed Judas.
An evil spirit can leave because an exorcist drives it out. The possessed person may not have wanted the exorcism and so the evil spirit can return. When the possessed person reaches out for help there is more chance that exorcism will be permanent.
The True Family of Jesus
46 As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 47 Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to speak to you.”
48 Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”
The intimacy of the Godhead is reflected in the community of Believers. It is for those who repent and reform under the power of the Spirit. These resulting bonds are stronger than the bonds of blood or DNA. It has always been Jesus’ purpose to come and adopt us into the divine family (Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 4:4-7; 1 John 3:1-10) This he would have done even if Eve and Adam had not sinned (Ephesians 1:4-5). We were made to enjoy the intimacy of being loved and served by God (Matthew 20:28; Luke 12:35-38; John 13:14, 21:13).
Ian Hartley, November 2024
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