By Randall L. Broad
Read: Genesis 48:1-49:33, Matthew 15:29-16:12, Psalms
20:1-9, Proverbs 4 20-27
In the New Testament reading Jesus warns his
disciples to guard against the teachings of the Pharisees and
the Sadducees.
The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by
asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
2He
replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is
red,’ 3and in the morning, ‘today it will be stormy, for the sky is
red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you
cannot interpret the signs of the times.
4A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but
none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”
Jesus then left them and went away.
Matthew 16:1-4
Today is the second of three different occasions in the
gospels of Matthew (vv. 12:38-41; 16:4) and Luke (vv. 11:29-32) where Jesus
refers to the prophet Jonah. Today He tells the Pharisees and Sadducees they
will receive only one sign–the “sign of Jonah.” This is also the second time
Jesus has called the ones demanding the sign a “wicked and adulterous
generation” (v. 12:39). Ironically, the Pharisees and Sadducees oppose each other
in principle and in conduct, but are united in their opposition to Christ. As
Matthew Henry writes:
… But they desired a sign
of their own choosing: they despised those signs which relieved the necessity
of the sick and sorrowful, and called for something else which would gratify
the curiosity of the proud. It is great hypocrisy, when we slight the signs of
God’s ordaining, to seek for signs of our own devising.”[1]
Scholars today often reject the book of Jonah as historical narrative
just as the Pharisees and Sadducees did: particularly the legalistic Sadducees
who denied the resurrection of the dead, the existence of spirits, and the
obligation of oral tradition. For them the Book of Jonah is easy to question:
specifically the part of the story of the great fish and the part where all of
Nineveh repented. Yet that is precisely the two parts of the narrative Jesus
declares to be true the two other times he mentions Jonah (Matthew 12:39-41;
Luke 11:29-30). Modern critical scholars don’t even agree on what label to give
the Book of Jonah: history, parable, allegory, or didactic story.
It is probably best to understand the Book of Jonah as a
prophetic parable. It is clear from His three references Jesus recognized two
significant aspects of Jonah’s story: a practical truth and a heavenly sign. In
the first reference Jesus tell the Pharisees and the teachers of the law:
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 12:38-41
Luke uses almost the same version as Matthew 12 except in a
slightly different order and he adds “For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites,
so also will the Son of Man be to this generation”. Jesus is most likely
referencing His own death and resurrection in our reading today (v. 16:4). But
the other two times He is clearly speaking of something more. He declares the
three days and nights Jonah spent in the belly of the fish was more than just a
foreshadowing of the cross. It was a sign of the heavenly kingdom to the
Ninevites–one that led them to the practical truth God’s grace was for
everyone.
In the Old Testament we are introduced to the Ninevites
after the flood when the nations of the earth are founded by the sons of Noah.
Cush
was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. 9He
was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a
mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10The first centers of his kingdom
were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. 11From that land he
went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah 12and
Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.
Genesis 10:8-12
Walk with the Lord …
Ephesians 1:17
Ephesians 1:17
(Rlb250124)
© Copyright 2017: Randall L. Broad
Disclaimer: This commentary is written by Randall L. Broad. It is in no way affiliated with or represents any denomination, university, church, or pastor. Any errors or omissions are purely my responsibility.
[1] Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997: 889
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