Learning from the Sign of Jonah

Learning from the Sign of Jonah

Series: The Gospel Truth

Texts: Luke 11:29-36; Jonah 1-4

Introduction: (What?)

In the last message we saw Jesus schooling the Pharisees regarding the “finger of God” by which He (Jesus) cast out demons. He told them “If I cast out demons by the finger of God, the Kingdom of heaven has come on you.” These guys still didn’t get it. They wanted a “sign” that Jesus was God’s Son. Today we are going to look at the only sign needed according to Jesus.

Examination: (Why?)

1. The Only Sign

Lk 11:29-32 “As the crowds were increasing, he began saying, “This generation is an evil generation. It demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and look—something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s preaching, and look—something greater than Jonah is here.”

In order for us to understand what Jesus said to the Pharisees (and to us) we must look at what the sign of Jonah really is. Many people think that because Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days and nights, and Jesus was in the grave 3 days, that that is the sign of Jonah. But hold on. If Jesus was buried on Friday before 6 p.m. and rose on Sunday before dawn, that was not 3 days and nights. (the Hebrew concept of what constituted a day was not a 24 hour period, but rather any part of a day and night.) Consequently, since part of Friday, Saturday and Sunday were included, that satisfied the Hebrew mind. However, that is not the “sign of Jonah”. While Jonah’s emergence from the fish’s belly did picture Christ’s resurrection (McArthur Study Bible) that was not the whole story.

When we look in the book of Jonah we find the parallels between his assignment and the purpose for Jesus’ earthly ministry. One commentator made the following reflection: Jonah's work was to call a whole people to recognize their sin and need for God's forgiveness.

In Jonah 1:1-2 we find Jonah’s assignment. “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before me.””

In Lk 4:18 we find Jesus’ assignment. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed,”

Essentially both Jonah and Jesus were given the assignment of warning of impending judgment because of sin. Just as Nineveh there was one preacher with one warning, so in Israel there was one Messiah with one warning.

In Jonah 3:4 we find the 7 word message that Jonah preached. “Jonah set out on the first day of his walk in the city and proclaimed, “In forty days Nineveh will be demolished!””

In Mark 1:14-15 we find the message that Jesus preached. “After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!””

One message is negative, the other is positive. However the purpose for both messages was to lead people to repentance. When Jesus sent out the 12 and the 72 He told them to proclaim the kingdom of God. Proclaiming the kingdom of God was both good and bad news. It was good news to those who would repent, but bad news to those who refused.

John the Baptist preached in Mark 1:15 ““The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!””

Jesus preached in Matt 4:17 “From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.””

When Jonah preached his short message in Nineveh, even though he did not call for repentance, look what happened in Jonah 3:5 “Then the people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least.” They repented.

However, when Jesus preached, the religious leaders of the Jews did not repent. Instead that demanded a “sign”. Then Jesus reminded them The queen of the south (Sheba) will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and look—something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s preaching, and look—something greater than Jonah is here.”

The sign of Jonah is the message of repentance. The message of Jesus is the message of repentance. In Luke 13:1-5 Jesus had an interesting encounter with w group of people. “At that time, some people came and reported to him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And he responded to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the other Galileans because they suffered these things? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well. Or those eighteen that the tower in Siloam fell on and killed—do you think they were more sinful than all the other people who live in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well.””

That is the bottom line of the preaching of Jonah and the preaching of Jesus. REPENTANCE. Just what is repentance? Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. (according to Wikipedia)

You can’t repent and keep doing what you’ve always done. You can’t repent and keep thinking the way you’ve always thought. You can’t repent and still have the same attitudes you’ve always had. And you can’t repent privately. Your repentance must be visible to everyone. It helps to do as the Ninevites did and publically demonstrate their repentance. Jonah 3:5 “Then the people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth—from the greatest of them to the least.”

2. Open Your Eyes

Lk 11:33-36 ““No one lights a lamp and puts it in the cellar or under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see its light. Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is also full of light. But when it is bad, your body is also full of darkness. Take care, then, that the light in you is not darkness. If, therefore, your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be entirely illuminated, as when a lamp shines its light on you.””

In the CSB Study Bible this passage is explained. “Jesus held forth the light of the gospel for all to see. Those who rejected him and his message had bad spiritual eyes, which turned the light of Christ into darkness. But those who received Christ by faith were filled with light.”

In Ephesians 1:18-19 Paul prayed for those in the Ephesian Church. “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.” That is my prayer for you and for me today. That our eyes might be open to the truth, “The kingdom of God is among you.”

So I ask you today:

Have you understood the sign of Jonah?

Have you repented of your sin of unbelief and surrendered your life to Jesus?

Are you repenting of sins when the Holy Spirit makes you aware of them?

If God is speaking to you today, don’t delay. Take a stand. Drive down a stake. Don’t leave here without the assurance that you are right with God.

Application: (How should I respond to this message?)