38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For 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. 41The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
This passage (12:38-42) continues the argument against negative volition.
12:38
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher [Rabbi], we want to see a sign from You.”
Jesus had just performed a miracle, yet the religious leaders asked for another sign (miracle). They chose to disregard by negative volition His previous miracles. The word “sign” is a special word for a miracle that points to authenticity; it is a stronger term than “miracle.” Jesus refused to respond to their new criterion.
12:39
But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign,
Jesus’ answer to the temerity of the scribes and Pharisees, spokesmen for their generation, was that they would only receive one sign—the sign of Jonah, the resurrection. The reason was that they were in deep negative volition. Jesus was not about to accommodate unbelief. An “adulterous generation” is an apostate generation that commits adultery with false doctrine. Getting in bed with false doctrine is unfaithfulness to God.
Note that Jesus assigned historicity to the book of Jonah and to the truth of the fish swallowing him.
and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
The “sign of Jonah” is the resurrection (v. 40). This was the only sign Jesus would give to validate His authenticity.
12:40
For 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 grave].
The picture of Jonah swallowed by the fish and disgorged on land was an analogy to Christ’s passion, burial, and resurrection (Jonah 1:17). Jesus’ resurrection would dramatically display to the nation Israel His authenticity.
This is the second time Jesus announced His resurrection three days after His death (Jn 2:19).
12:41
The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
Jesus now cited two examples of Gentiles with positive volition:
Jonah’s experience with the city of Nineveh (12:41)
Solomon’s experience with the queen of Sheba (12:42)
Gentiles in Nineveh (capital of the Assyrian Empire) did not have the Old Testament, but they repented with positive volition to Jonah’s message (Jonah 3:5-10).
and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
Note the three “greater than” phrases in this chapter:
Jesus was greater than the temple (12:6)
Jesus was greater than Jonah (12:41)
Jesus was greater than Solomon (12:42)
Jesus the Messiah here is greater than Jonah.
12:42
The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
The Gentile queen of Sheba (from the eastern shore of the Red Sea on the Arabian Peninsula) responded with positive volition towards God and sought out Solomon’s wisdom (1 Ki 10:1-13).
and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
Jesus is greater than Solomon because of His transcending wisdom.
PRINCIPLE:
Faith is the substance of things hoped for.
APPLICATION:
Some people repent with less evidence than others. God provides mankind with adequate evidence for anyone to believe. There are people who want more proof, whereas they have enough to believe. Demand for more evidence is an indication of unbelief.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. He 11:1
