Show us a sign
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Scripture Reading (Matthew 12:38-45)
Prayer
Review
Introduction
Overview
Begin Point 1
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
Matthew presents this text right after making it clear that all people either turn to Jesus or choose to reject Him.
He has been addressing the Pharisees
The religious establishment
Here, “Scribes and Pharisees”
They “answered Him”
The word for answered...
sometimes just “said” esp. in Matthew
Remember Matthew’s context.
Follows healing/exorcism that we attributed to Beelzebul
They address Jesus respectfully “teacher”
does not imply that they are giving Him a fair chance but instead giving Himself the opportunity to discredit Himself.
They ask for a “sign”
Jesus had been showing signs so they were asking for something different.
OT and Jewish lit. shed light.
1 kings 20:13
13 And behold, a prophet came near to Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says the Lord, Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will give it into your hand this day, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
Isaiah 7:10-14
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz: 11 “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
There are other things such as a test of a true prophet.
These signs are not simply miracles but miracles to prove a point, that this is the message or messenger of God.
39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
(39) So Jesus answers them
An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah
the generation?
two descriptions
evil
adulterous
They have been shown many signs but have not believed
He, in denying their request for a sign, points to a sign already passed.
What is the sign of Jonah?
Jump forward to vs 40
40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The sign of Jonah is his deliverance from death to validate his message
So Jesus’ first point is that they have already been shown the evidence that they need.
Similarly, our first point is...
I. You have enough evidence to produce faith (38-39)
I. You have enough evidence to produce faith (38-39)
There Pharisees were forcing an issue to try to prove that Jesus was not worthy of faith, instead, Jesus refuses their test and points to the signs already delivered.
Next, look at verse 40 as Jesus, while refusing them, points toward His own sign of Jonah, which they will similarly reject.
Begin Point 2
40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jesus will be buried for 3 days and 3 nights
explain how Jesus being in the tomb from Friday through Sunday satisfies this requirement.
II. You have heard that Jesus has risen from the grave and should believe (40)
II. You have heard that Jesus has risen from the grave and should believe (40)
Begin Point 3
41 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. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
(41) Nineveh was a wicked, gentile city that repented at the sign of Jonah
Jesus is greater than Jonah
(42) The Queen of Sheba was a Gentile who sought out the wisdom of Solomon
The wisdom of Jesus is greater than Solomon
III. Jesus is the greatest and you can trust His message (41-42)
III. Jesus is the greatest and you can trust His message (41-42)
Finally, there is a bit of a change and I wrestled with including this here but I think Matthew connects it so we should look for the connection.
Begin Point 4
43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
I believe this is still in the context of Jesus having cast out a demon
(43) When a demon departs, he goes someplace like a desert
It cannot rest
Not sure what this means but apparently a demon seeks out a place (person) to inhabit
(44) After having been cast out, it tries return to its last host
It is now organized but notice it is empty.
Now I do not want to read into the text what is not there
I think it is key that it is empty
This person did not choose Christ and is thus empty
(45) It comes back even worse than before
This is an illustration of this generation
A generation that rejects Jesus is worse off than before
this leads to our final point
IV. You can’t stay neutral towards Jesus, you either turn in repentant faith or choose to remain in sin (43-45)
IV. You can’t stay neutral towards Jesus, you either turn in repentant faith or choose to remain in sin (43-45)
Remember last week (Good/rotten tree)
Jesus has given evidence enough for faith
What is faith?
What does faith look like?
To those who have not begun following Jesus?
To those who are followers?