SIGNS & WANDERERS

LAST WEEK

We saw Jesus retreat from opposition

We saw His reasoning for his retreat

We saw how He valued fulfilling His Father’s Word over proving to people He was right

We also saw Him calling out the Pharisees

We looked at the Unpardonable Sin

We looked at what it was and what it was not

We looked at the process of that sin

THIS WEEK

We will begin to see Jesus speak in parables

We will begin to see him confront the false security of the Pharisees

We will see him make a distinction from those who are close to him via chance and those who He wanted to draw near for a purpose.

There are those who come to church

Because their families do

Because their families do

Because their society does

Because if they don’t they will be treated different

Many people believe that proximity yields intimacy

But here in this text we see that proximity not only produces intimacy, but intimacy leads to action.

READ

Matthew 12:38–50 NKJV

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39 But 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. 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. 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; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 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; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. 43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” 46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” 48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

PRAY THAT THE LORD WOULD SHOW US ALL THAT HE HAS DONE IN THE PAST. THAT HIS PAST RECORD WOULD GIVE US CONFIDENCE FOR THE FUTURE. THAT WE WOULD REMEMBER HIS PAST FAITHFULNESS, AND THAT THIS WOULD INCREASE OUR FAITH AND TRUST IN HIM.

Matthew 12:38 NKJV

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

Matthew

How many signs had Jesus already performed in their sight?

The Pharisees had seen the transfiguration

Jesus had taught in their synagogues

He cleansed the leper

He healed the Centurions Servant

He healed Peter’s Mother in Law

He casted out demons

He calmed the sea

Healed two demon possessed men

Jesus forgives and Heals the Paralytic

A twelve year old girl was healed

A woman with the issue of blood was healed

Two blind men were healed

One mute man spoke

He healed the man with the withered Hand

Yet these Scribes and Pharisees wanted a sign

They wanted more evidence

They wanted another miracle

As if what He had already done wasn’t enough.

I don’t believe that these dudes really wanted another miracle

I believe they wanted a sign that would make it clear that He indeed wasn’t the Messiah

I believe they may have been taunting him

Trying to cause him to act in the flesh

Trying to cause him to exalt himself above the Father.

JESUS KNOWS EXACTLY WHERE THEY ARE AT IN THEIR REQUEST:

:39

Matthew 12:39–41 NKJV

39 But 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. 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. 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; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

Church,

If we have been following Jesus for some time know

We have seen him do various mighty wonders

We have seen his past track record

We have seen his undeniable faithfulness in our lives

Yet sometimes we act like we still don’t believe

Sometimes we act like Jesus hasn’t done a thing

Sometimes our lack of trust

Our impatience

Our stubbornness

Our will

Wants to exalt itself agains what God will’s to do.

Jesus, in providing another sign, would have done the Pharisees and the scribes a disservice

They had all the evidence they needed to make a cognoscente decision to follow Him

Their passivity

Their lack of courage to make a decision

Condemned them

Declared them evil and adulterous

It made them perverse

It called them out on their theological promiscuity

It put on display the condition of their heart.

But Jesus gave them a little hope

He says, I’m not going to give you any more signs

But what I will do is give you the greatest miracle this side of the Virgin Birth.

I will give you one more sign that will not enable you

But will cause you to come face to face with the reality of who I am.

If today, you are still looking for evidence

If today you have been wondering what Jesus is about

The only thing you must come to grips with is the sign that Jesus is talking about

“I will give you the sign of the Prophet Jonah”

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

So the Son of Man, will be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth

This was the sign

This is what Jesus would leave them with

Notice that this isn’t speaking of his resurrection

It is speaking of His Death

Of His Burial

Of His Mortal Sacrifice

Why?

Because they needed to know what Jesus was going to do on their behalf

They needed to know that forgiveness and repentance was enabled by one act

The act of Jesus’ literal Death and Burial for our sins.

If Jesus wasn’t 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth

Then the question is did He really experience a literal death?

If He didn’t experience a literal death, then the question is,

Was the resurrection real?

Was it that powerful?

Does it make it celebratory?

Jesus was over performing for entertainment purposes

He was pointing people to the greatest thing He would ever do

He knew that all of the miracles He had done would mean nothing

If He didn’t go to the cross

If Jesus wasn’t held accountable in our stead

If Jesus didn’t die a literal death

Suffer a little separation from His Father

Then we have a partial savior

We have a Semi-Messiah

We have an Almost-Salvation

This is why Jesus points to this historic event as the las sign He would do on this earth.

Because without the death, the resurrection doesn’t make sense.

Jesus was trying to get these men to repent.

He uses Jonah as a canvas to paint the picture of the entire story of the Gospel

Nineveh was known to be rebellious

Because we want more evidence

Nineveh is a picture of us . . .

But because God wanted to rescue people from death

Nineveh was very idolatrous

Nineveh was the enemy of God

He gave us a second chance

As Jonah responded to God’s Grace

But God wanted to have a relationship with them

The only way that could happen was through the preaching of repentance

As Jonah responded in Obedience

But repentance from what?

Many repented in Nineveh

They had no clue what righteousness was

So he sends Jonah to them

Jonah, like all of us

Was also sinful

He was a man

He was stubborn

After disobeying the Lord

Jesus

He gets tossed from a ship and is eaten up by a Great Fish

He is as good as dead

But then, God does the unthinkable

He gives Jonah a second chance

Spits him out in none other than Nineveh and gives him instruction again

Finally He obeys

Preaches the message

Nineveh repents

This is a picture of what the Death of Jesus would do to many

It would cause them to repent

Why would somebody that was innocent have to suffer?

Why would He who knew no sin, become sin for us?

Why weren’t to sons of Adam and daughters of Eve held accountable for this?

Why were we sparred?

Because He loved us that much

Nineveh is a testimony against the unrepentant heart

Church, our hearts need to be softened

We need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit

We need to be challenged by this message.

Jesus goes on to speak about the Queen of Sheba

How she had heard of Solomon and all his glory, wisdom, and kingdom

Yet it took her actually seeing it for herself for her to believe

Church, this is a picture of the resurrection

Come and See says the Lord

Not only do I have the power to lay my life down, I have the power to raise it up

Someone greater than Solomon is here

Someone greater than Jonah is here

His name is Jesus

Who not only preaches repentance from the grave

He is also preaching sight to the blind

That they may see that the Lord is Good!

Matthew 12:43–45 NKJV

43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

Jesus then goes on to speak of the spiritual culture in the form of a parable

Matthew 12:46–50 NKJV

46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” 48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 12:46-