The Sign of Jonah

Hook

Why are you a Christian?

Book

Matthew 12:38–41 ESV

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. 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. 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.

Matthew H. The King Denies the Hypocrites a Sign (12:38–45)

Jesus had already provided abundant signs for anyone with ears to hear and eyes to see. He unmasked the hypocrites by confronting them directly. Their demand for signs was an indication of unbelief, not faith. Jesus never performed miracles for the purpose of impressing others. Miracles were part of his proclamation, never a performance.

Matthew H. The King Denies the Hypocrites a Sign (12:38–45)

Jesus responded that their request revealed the evil in their hearts. He was not saying it was wrong to test the validity of a person who claims to be God’s prophet—only that it was wrong to test him when he had already proven his validity. Such continued testing demonstrated the hardened hearts of the persons seeking the sign.

What is the Sign of Jonah?

The resurrection!

How do we know Jesus rose from the dead? We can study history.

When we consider history, we must do a few things:

We must find out what happened, and we must find the best explanation.

Activity Indicator — Murder Mystery

1 A man is writing a letter. The power goes out and he dies. Why? The man was in a plane. When the power went out, the engine stopped and the plane crashed.

2 A man is in the middle of a room hanging from the ceiling. There is a puddle of water under his feet. There is nothing else in the room. How did he hang himself? The man stood on a block of ice and tied the rope round his neck. When the ice melted, he died.

3 A man is lying dead in the middle of a desert. He is wearing a backpack and has a full canteen of water. How did he die?  The man was a skydiver, and the backpack was a parachute that didn’t open.

4 A man is riding the elevator down. The lights go out and the elevator stops. He realizes his wife is dead. How does he know this?  He is in a hospital, and his wife is a patient. She lives only by a life-support system. The power went out, thus the life-support system went off.

5 There is a man lying face down in a cabin, which is in the middle of the forest. The cabin has windows that do not open. He is dead. What happened? He is in the cabin of a plane. The plane crashed and he died.

6 Gertrude and Zelda are lying on the floor, dead. There is glass and water all around them. What happened? Gertrude and Zelda are fish. The fish tank fell and broke on the floor, thus killing the two fish.

1. Jesus died by crucifixion

2. Jesus was buried in a tomb

3. The disciples claimed Jesus rose from the dead, and died never recanting

4. Paul, a persecutor of the church, became a Christian.

possible explanations

hallucinations

stole the body

twin brother

its all a fairy tale

jesus actually rose from the dead

Look

God has left sufficient evidence to believe that Jesus rose from the dead. Yet, many still doubt? Let’s talk about where that doubt could come from.

Doubt of the Mind “I still have questions”

Doubt of the will “I don’t want it to be true”

Took

Return to opening question: why are you a Christian?

because Christianity is true

Small Group Guide