John The Baptist's Questions For Jesus

INTRO

Yesterday, we looked at John the Baptist and the question of whether he was Elijah. In Matthew 11:14, we discovered that if the Jews had accepted the message that the kingdom of heaven was near, John would have become the prophetic fulfillment of the “second Elijah” prophecy. From Matthew 10 through chapter 28, the Jews continue to reject King Jesus. We’re going to start in the middle of Matthew 12. Jesus is having constant interactions with the religious. He is talking about being the Lord of the Sabbath, about healing a man with a paralyzed hand, and that He is serving as a Servant of the Lord, and about a house divided. We’ll start in verse 38 and study the sign of Jonah.

TEACHING

Matthew 12:38: In verse 38, some of the scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign from Jesus. It was a set-up. Stanley Toussant states that, “Although their rejection of Him is certain, the scribes and Pharisees approach the King and in antagonistic unbelief seek a sign from Him.”¹The Jews did not believe that anyone could produce a sign at that time. MacArthur states that they wanted “a miracle on a cosmic scale.”²Additional Scriptures on the request for signs are Luke 11:16 and 1 Corinthians 1:22. Unbelievers seek signs for signs’ sake; believers seek signs for authentication. God at times granted signs for His people in the past, but He did it to strengthen their weak faith. Abraham, Joshua, Gideon . . . all needed signs for affirmation.

Matthew 12:39: Jesus answered their request by explaining that “an evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to them except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” In the Pentateuch, our mind goes to how the Israelites constantly committed spiritual adultery (Isaiah 57:3-8; Jeremiah 3:10; Hosea 7:13-16). Instead of giving them a miraculous sign, Jesus gave them the sign of Jonah.

Matthew 12:40: Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the whale. Douglas O’Donnell explained that it’s important to understand how the ancient Jews figured time: “A new day began after sunset (not at midnight), and part of a day was often counted as a whole day.”³(Genesis 40; 1 Kings 20).

Jonah 2:3, references being in “the heart of the seas,” and Psalm 46:2 talks about “the depths of the seas.” Jesus said he would be in “the heart of the earth,” referencing His own death and burial (Matthew 12:40). One of the problems is that while the Jews believed that Jesus really died (Luke 24:18-20), they didn’t believe He came back to life.

Matthew 12:41: Jonah did not stay in the belly of the whale. If he had, the people of Nineveh would never have had the chance to hear his message and repent. Jonah had to “come back from the belly of the whale” in order for the Ninevites to repent. Jesus had to “come back from the belly of the earth to life” so we could have repentance. Jesus said that the men of Nineveh will stand in judgment of the Jews (“this generation”) because they said, “Yes,” to the message from Jonah (Jonah 3:5-10), when the Jews said, “No” to Jesus. Some would say that the message wasn’t the same in both instances, because one generation later, the Ninevites went back to their former ways (Nahum 3:7-8).

Yesterday, we talked about John the Baptist being greater than the Old Testament prophets because he was walking out the fulfillment of their words. Even the least of those in the kingdom of heaven, however, are greater than John the Baptist, because we are walking out the prophetic word that he released.

So, why is Jesus greater than Jonah? Wiersbe states:

“He is greater in His person, for Jonah was a mere man. He was greater in His obedience, for Jonah disobeyed God . . . Jesus actually died, while Jonah’s ‘grave’ was in the belly of the great fish. Jesus arose from the dead under His own power. Jonah ministered only to one city, while Jesus gave His life for the whole world. Certainly, Jesus was greater in His love, for Jonah did not love the people of Nineveh––he wanted them to die. Jonah’s message saved Nineveh from judgment; he was a messenger of the wrath of God. Jesus’ message was that of grace and salvation.”⁴

Matthew 12:42: “The queen of the south” was the Queen of Sheba, located at what the Israelites thought was the end of the world (Jeremiah 6:20). She came to hear the wisdom of Solomon and turned to God (1 Kings 10:1-10). Gentiles (Ninevites and the Queen of Sheba) were responding, but the Jews were not. Jesus told the Jews that He was greater than Solomon, as well as Jonah. How was Jesus greater than Solomon? He was “greater in wisdom, wealth, and works.”⁵“Jesus’ kingdom offers much more than all of Solomon’s glory. And, to sit at Christ’s table and hear His words, and to share His blessings, is much more satisfying than to visit and admire the most spectacular kingdom, even that of Solomon.”⁶

Jesus gave them biblical signs . . . through Jonah, through the Ninevites, through Solomon, and through the Queen of Sheba. And the Jews didn’t want it. Because the Jews rejected the sign, we received God’s blessing. One day, they will see Zechariah 12:10 come to fruition.

CLOSING

If you’re trying to make a decision today, and you’re asking for more signs, don’t ask for signs to test Jesus. Only ask for a sign of affirmation for the next step.