Matthew 12:38-41
38 Then some of the Pharisees
and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from
you.”
39 He answered, “A
wicked and adulterous generation asks for a 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 something
greater than Jonah is here.
Topic: something greater than Jonah is here
In today's reading from Matthew 12:38-41, we hear
Jesus speaking to the scribes and Pharisees, who ask him for a sign that would
prove his authority. In response, Jesus tells them that "an evil and
adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except
the sign of the prophet Jonah." He goes on to say that just as Jonah was
in the belly of the 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.
But then Jesus says something that must have left the scribes
and Pharisees scratching their heads: "The men of Nineveh will rise up at
the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the
preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here."
What does Jesus mean when he says "something greater
than Jonah is here"? Let's take a closer look.
First of all, we need to understand who Jonah was and what he
represented. Jonah was a prophet who was called by God to preach to the people
of Nineveh, a city known for its wickedness. But Jonah didn't want to go to
Nineveh, so he tried to run away from God by boarding a ship heading in the
opposite direction. But a storm arose, and Jonah realized that he was the cause
of it. He asked the sailors to throw him overboard, and he was swallowed by a
great fish. After three days and three nights in the fish's belly, Jonah prayed
to God for deliverance, and God caused the fish to vomit him up on the shore.
Jonah finally went to Nineveh and preached to the people there,
telling them that God was going to destroy the city if they didn't repent. To
Jonah's surprise, the people of Nineveh listened to him and repented of their
sins. God relented and did not destroy the city.
So what does all of this have to do with Jesus and his statement
that "something greater than Jonah is here"? Well, Jesus is saying
that he is greater than Jonah because he is the one whom Jonah was prophesying
about. Jesus is the one who will spend three days and three nights in the heart
of the earth, just as Jonah spent three days and three nights in the fish's
belly. And just as Jonah preached repentance to the people of Nineveh, Jesus is
preaching repentance to all people.
But there's another important point here. Jesus is saying that
the people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment and condemn the scribes and
Pharisees, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, but the scribes and
Pharisees are not repenting at the preaching of Jesus, who is greater than
Jonah. This is a warning to all of us that if we do not repent and turn to God,
we will be condemned at the judgment.
So what should we take away from this passage?
First, we should recognize that Jesus is greater than Jonah, and
that his message of repentance is the most important message we will ever hear.
We should take his words seriously and turn away from our sins, just as the
people of Nineveh did. Jesus here is comparing himself to Jonah for the sake of
our understanding. The Pharisees and the Scribes the ability to comprehend a
story that ran deep in their tradition, story that has been told for
generation, a story that is relevant not only to their relationship with God
but to their relationships with others. The concept of Jesus being in the heart
of this earth for three days is a very challenging concept to comprehend
Second, we should be careful not to be like the scribes and
Pharisees, who were so focused on signs and wonders that they missed the
greater message that Jesus was bringing. Let us not be so caught up in seeking
signs and wonders that we miss the truth that is right in front of us. One of
the most difficult things for the Pharisees and the Scribes to see through is,
their substantial restrained to the Law. They saw Jesus as the very enemy to
the foundation of Law. He is someone that is trying to live above and disregard
the Law. However, they were using the Law to cleanse their outer-being
(‘akitu’a) as no one can judge their inner-being (‘akilotoa). The problem with
that is that Jesus sees our inner-being (‘akilotoa) as well as our outer-being
(‘akitu’a). Therefore, signs is for those that worry about the phenomenon of
the outer-being (‘akitu’a). But for Jesus, repentance is the experience of the
inner-being (‘akilotoa). Repentance is the working of the heart as we developed
and matured into our relationship with Christ.
Thirdly: What is this "something greater than
Jonah" that Jesus is talking about? To understand this, we
need to look at the story of Jonah in the Old Testament. Jonah was a prophet
who was sent by God to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh. However, Jonah
was reluctant to go, and he ended up being swallowed by a great fish before he
finally obeyed God's command. After Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh,
they repented and turned back to God. The story of Jonah is often seen as a
foreshadowing of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus is saying that He is greater than Jonah. Jonah was a
prophet who preached repentance, but Jesus is not just a prophet - He is the
Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Jesus came not just to preach
repentance, but to provide a way for us to be reconciled with God. Jesus' death
on the cross paid the penalty for our sins, and His resurrection from the dead
conquered death and gave us eternal life.
Jesus is also greater than Jonah because He did not just preach to one city - He came to save
the whole world. Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh, but Jesus came to
offer salvation to all people, of all nations and races. Jesus' message is not
just for the Jews, but for everyone who believes in Him.
Finally, Jesus is greater than Jonah because He did not just preach repentance - He lived it. Jesus
lived a sinless life and demonstrated perfect obedience to God. He showed us
what it means to truly love God and love others, and He calls us to follow in
His footsteps.
“Something greater than Jonah is here" Jesus is here and He
is greater because the repentance that He required of us resulted in Him giving
His own life so that we may have life abundantly and by His Grace we are
reconciled with God in an eternal relationship.
Closing Prayer:
God Almighty, we pray that we may grow as disciple
after Jesus’ heart, and that the “house” of my life would not be an empty
shell, but rather a temple of praise, filled with your holy Spirit Lord Jesus, change our heart to be more like
yours, that my words would always give honor to You. Lead us into true
repentance, and guide us into a life which reflects Your wisdom in all things.
We recommit our lives to You. Our redemption has been completed on that cross.
Your resurrection gave us the assurance that You are our Lord and Savior, we
pray in Your name, Amen
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