The Sign of Jonah Luke 11:29-36

I. Jesus Answers a Challenge with a Challenge vv. 29-32

In our passage this morning, Jesus is confronted by the questions of a group of religious people

They demand that He show them a sign, otherwise they would not believe Him

That is the position that many of us are in today; they are interested in Jesus and they would like a blessing from Jesus, but they are not interested in following Jesus

When Jesus challenges the people He uses two Old Testament examples:

Jonah-

Jonah was in the belly of a great fish for 3 days and nights

In the same way, Jesus passed through the grave for 3 days and came out again on the other side

The people of Jesus’s day would receive this great sign, yet they still would not believe Him

The Queen of Sheba-

She came from a far away land to hear the wisdom of Solomon

Jesus has a wisdom that is greater than Solomon’s, yet the people will not listen to His teaching

Jesus tells us that, in the day of judgment, the Queen of Sheba and the people of Nineveh will be able to condemn those who do not believe, because they heard God’s message and believed it

There is a potential tragedy that we must be aware of: we can be near to Jesus without ever truly believing what He has to say

We can go to church, read the Scripture, and even pray, but apart from a life of faithful obedience, it is foolishness

The crowd that day liked Jesus, wanted to be blessed by Jesus, and were even interested in what Jesus had to say, but they would not live as His disciples

This must not be true of us!

Hebrews 11:6

[6] And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (ESV)

II. The Life of a Disciple vv. 33-36

What should our lives look like as disciples of Jesus? I believe that Jesus gives us two answers

First, the life of a disciple is a life lived for God’s glory:

Here, Jesus uses a picture of a light and reminds us that a light wasn’t intended to be hidden

A light is supposed to shine for the world to see

We must live as people who are living so that the world can see Jesus in us

Matthew 5:14–16

[14] “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. [16] In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (ESV)

Second, the life of a disciple is a life of faith

Jesus warns us about our eye and tell us that it is the window to our hearts

It lets the light into us, but what kind of lens is it:

When a person has an eye of faith, he receives the truth about Jesus and it makes the inside of that man full of light, wisdom, and goodness

When a person has an eye of unbelief, he receives all of the same truth about Jesus and twists it. A bad eye will leave you full of darkness

When we refuse to live by faith in Jesus, our end is futility and bitterness

The answer today is simple: turn to Jesus and believe in Him, live for Him; let Him change your actions and let Him change your life!

One day, while my son Zac and I were out in the country, climbing around in some cliffs, I heard a voice from above me yell, "Hey Dad! Catch me!" I turned around to see Zac joyfully jumping off a rock straight at me. He had jumped and them yelled "Hey Dad!" I became an instant circus act, catching him. We both fell to the ground. For a moment after I caught him I could hardly talk.

When I found my voice again I gasped in exasperation: "Zac! Can you give me one good reason why you did that???"

He responded with remarkable calmness: "Sure...because you're my Dad." His whole assurance was based in the fact that his father was trustworthy. He could live life to the hilt because I could be trusted. Isn't this even more true for a Christian?