As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, He said, “This evil generation keeps asking Me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah. What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man will be a sign to these people that He was sent by God. The queen of Sheba will stand up against this generation on Judgment Day and condemn it, for she came from adistant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen. The people of Nineveh will also 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.”
Luke 11:29-32
So what sign is Jesus talking about here? If they are an evil generation because their hearts are filled with wrong motives, what does the sign of Jonah and the sign of the Queen of Sheba refer to? Jesus told them, “The only sign that will be given to them, will be the sign of the prophet Jonah. This evil generation wants a sign of the miraculous. But no sign of miracles will be given to them”. Just as Jonah was a sign to the people of Nineveh, so too will they receive only the same sign as the Ninevites got from Jonah. What was that? Was it connected with the Lord’s dealing with his disobedience, and being swallowed by the whale? Is that the lesson or the sign they were to receive? No, the Ninevites knew nothing of that happening to Jonah. All they knew was his message to them. A message of repentance! Ah, there it is. That’s the sign that this evil generation has in store for them: a call to repentance of the kind the Ninevites received.
You evil people need to repent, just as the unbelievers did in Nineveh, long ago. And yes, there is one more analogy that we can apply from the prophet Jonah. This analogy is applied by Jesus, in the gospels, from the story of Jonah. Matthew 12:40-41 makes it clear there are two points of comparison. The first is the matter of repentance. The second is Jonah’s three days in the whale, being analogous to Jesus three days in the bowels of the earth. So the main connection is repentance. Do you evil people want a sign? I will give it to you – REPENT. And do you want a miracle? I will give you that too – at My death.
The people of Nineveh will stand up against this generation at Judgment Day and condemn it. Why? Because they didn’t repent. You had all the knowledge of the Law and the Prophets and the Writings given to you, and still you missed it. We, the people of Nineveh, only received the message of the prophet Jonah, and yet “we” repented. You were warned ahead of time about the kinds of signs which would accompany His coming, but you refused to believe. Not only that, but you asked for more signs, when you knew full well that what you had received already, were the “signs” that were promised. We, the people of Nineveh, took advantage of the moment of our visitation. You spurned it and turned your back on it. Repent!
What is the link with the Queen of Sheba? Here is a Gentile woman who came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom because news of his fame had reached her ears. She travelled from a distant land to get there, so that she could listen to the wisdom of one so obviously sent from God. You have One greater than Solomon, One toward Whom all the prophets and the sages point. One right here in your midst, and yet you spurn Him. You turn your back on Him and waste the moment of His being in your midst. How evil is that? Just like the evil King Ahaz, you pretend spirituality, but in reality, you are far from it. The only reaction left for you is to repent. Hence, the message of Jonah is for you too, you evil generation.
Note the repetition here:
- The queen of Sheba will stand up against this generation on Judgment Day and condemn it,
- The people of Nineveh will also ,
- she came from a distant land to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
- for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah.
- Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen.
- Now someone greater than Jonah is here – but you refuse to repent.
It is very clear what is being said, isn’t it? And very clear what the point of comparison is in this analogy, right? Furthermore, the repetition hammers the point home. Take note of repetition when you see it. Something important is being said, just like when your mother repeated herself to get her point across. It is the sign of Jonah preaching repentance that is in focus. And it is the sign of the Queen of Sheba’s willingness to listen to wisdom. In each case, Someone greater is here. Yeshua Ha Meshiach, but you turn your back on Him and have the impudence to ask for more signs.
No, you have had all the signs you will be given. These people who repented and responded will be there on Judgment Day to bear witness against you.
Work out your salvation in fear and trembling
Philippians 2:12
Think before you say something. Is it True? Is it Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind?
Anon
Before you tell me how you like to teach / preach, show me how you live / give.
Cory Booker
A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them!
Rick Godwin