By
Allen White
Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of
the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
He answered, “A wicked and adulterous
generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the
prophet Jonah. 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. 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. The 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
Jesus doesn’t
perform signs on demand. In fact, the need for signs betrays a lack of faith
more than the presence of great faith (read more here). The Pharisees didn’t need a sign from
Jesus. They had witnessed plenty of signs firsthand. They certainly weren’t
struggling to believe. They just didn’t believe Him.
Jesus pointed to a
sign they would understand – Jonah. For those of us who spent years in Sunday
school, we remember the high tech flannel graph illustrations of Jonah and the
whale or more properly, Jonah and the great fish (Jonah 1-3).
A storm resulted
from Jonah’s disobedience of embarking on the wrong boat. To save the crew,
Jonah disembarked into the sea. The giant fish provided Jonah’s transportation
to God’s intended destination.
Jonah’s
disobedience didn’t stem from his dislike for the climate in Nineveh. Jonah
didn’t like the Ninevites. He felt they deserved God’s judgment. If he preached
repentance, they might repent. Jonah wanted nothing to do with that.
Jesus came to give
His life as a ransom for the undeserving people of this world. He died and
spent three days in the grave, just as Jonah spent three days “buried” in the
great fish. At the end of three days, both Jonah and Jesus were raised in
victory to proclaim Good News.
Jonah and Solomon
both pointed unrighteous people to God. Jesus’ claim to the Pharisees was to be
greater than both. What other signs did they need?
Sometimes we feel
like we need a sign. Whether we’re making a big decision or just need assurance
we’re headed in the right direction. Sometimes we’re so desperate; we’ll take
any scrap of coincidence to validate what we’d like to do. But, we already have
all the validation we need.
Believers today
have all of God’s Word. Those in Jesus’ time had the Old Testament and Jesus’
live teaching, but they lacked the context and perspective that we enjoy today.
By having all of the Bible and 2,000 years of Christian theology, we have a
greater understanding of God’s plan than any of God’s people at any other point
in history. So, why are we so confused?
We also have far
more pressures and distractions than anyone at any other time. The world has
dictated to us what we should have to be successful. Social media forces us
into almost a daily interaction with every person we’ve ever met. Most of our
lifestyles extend well beyond our means, yet we continually want more. We are
killing ourselves over things that simply don’t matter. Why?
We lack direction.
Often we lack perspective. When was the last time we stepped back and evaluated
our lives? When was the last time we stopped doing something that wasn’t
getting us anywhere? When was the last time we felt at peace? What was
happening then?
You were placed on
this earth for a purpose. If you feel frazzled and stressed out, you are not
functioning in your purpose. You have too many competing values in your life.
If you have children, they are part of God’s purpose in your life. If you’re
children have become a bother to you, something has intruded on God’s purpose
for you.
What do you worry
about? A worry is something you think about at least three times per day. Why
are you worried about these things? God’s purpose for your life shouldn’t be a
worry to you. It’s what you were made to do.
Maybe it’s time to
get alone with God for three hours. Take your Bible and a notepad. Tell God
everything that you think and feel – write it, type it, say it outloud (not in
public). Then, begin to write down the thoughts and ideas that come into your
head. Make a To-Do list. Then, make a Stop-Doing list.
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