The Sign of Jonah

Leading up to this point, the people in v.16 were looking for a sign from heaven. They were wanting Jesus to perform some tricks that they might believe(not that they had been given enough). This mindset was wrong, Jesus had proven Himself numerous times and had just performed signs that He had shown means that the finger of God was among them, meaning that the power of God was being shown in their midst.

This passage is all about seeing and acknowledging the works of God.

Evil Generation

Jesus had shown them numerous signs. Given evidence that He was sent of God and the claims that He was giving were of God.

But they are desiring a sign. The reason that they are evil is Jesus had given them signs; and they were ignoring them.

Sign of Jonah

So Jesus says they will only get the sign of Jonah.

The sign of Jonah comes two fold. The first is spoken of in:

Matthew 12:40

Matthew 12:40 ESV

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.

Resurrection as a Sign

Jesus was pointing saying he would be dead for three days. This is the sign.

Luke doesn’t refer to the fish as the sign of Jonah. Luke says that Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh.

The people of Nineveh didn’t know Jonah had been swallowed by a fish. Jonah, after he was puked up still had around 350 miles to walk from his closest point.

The sign Jonah gave was the sign of preaching.

Preaching as a Sign

Jonah’s sign of preaching wasn’t much.

The city was exceedingly large, Jonah went to the center and it appears he only gave one message.

Jonah 3:4

Jonah 3:4 ESV

4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

It would appear he didn’t even give the option of repentance, just laid out the facts that they would be destroyed.

The whole city repented, in 4:11 it tells us that there were 120,000 who repented and according to 3:7 is was by decree of the king that they all did so.

One short sermon, 120,000. God is good, He is the one who changes hearts.

Jonah, a prophet of God calling for repentance is all that Luke points to for a sign of Jonah.

This sign is fulfilled in the next verses where Jesus says they will be judged, it’s fulfilled in the next passage where Jesus pronounces Woe’s; when He drives out money changers; when He calls for repentance.

Judgment

The judgement is coming, for the people in Israel are rejecting the wisdom that God incarnate is bringing them and ignoring the signs and miracles Jesus is performing proving that He is God.

Two examples that do pay attention.

Queen of the South

This is most likely the Queen of Sheba who came to visit Solomon.

She was a gentile, not an Israelite. Jesus is saying that this gentile has a higher standing in the eyes of God than “this generation.”

She heard of the wisdom of Solomon, traveled a long distance to hear from Solomon and rejoiced over what God was doing through Solomon.

2 Chronicles 9:8

It is all about God and His grace. She is rejoicing over what God had done.

Nineveh

The men of Nineveh?! They weren’t just gentiles, they were Assyrians!! People who had tormented the people of God.

Jesus is saying that the men of Assyria are higher in the eyes of God, than the people of Israel of that generation.

For they had listened to the prophet and repented.

However, the people of “this generation” had listened, and hadn’t repented.

Rather than seeing Jesus as the messenger from God, they are asking for yet another sign.

Jesus is Greater

The people of Nineveh listened to Jonah, Jesus is greater than Jonah. The queen of Sheba listened to Solomon, Jesus is greater than Solomon.

Do you realize that the one who is greater, desires a relationship with you? That He will teach you through His word?

Who are we listening to before Jesus?

Light In You

Light is used is scripture to describe light that is emitted by an object(sun, candle, moon), also the splendor of God, splendor of Jesus, the glorified saints, knowledge, and morality.

Here Jesus starts off with light as a general term. Something that illuminates, then Jesus moves on to using light as knowledge, seeing God’s glory.

Your Eye Is the Lamp of Your Body

A lamp is a thing that gives off light. The lamp that Jesus is referring to is the receptor through which the rest of the body receives the benefit of the light.

We’ve discussed worldviews before, how is it that you view the rest of the world, how do you view things happening in school, in the work place, in politics.

We all have a way in which we view everything going on.

The Jews were saying “we need a sign.” Jesus is saying you have been given signs, you don’t need more of them you need better receptors to see what is right in front of you!!

You don’t need more evidence, you need the right outlook on what is happening in front of you.

If how you view everything going on around you is based off of anything else other than sacred scripture, then as 2 Cor 4:4 says, Satan has blinded your eyes.

2 Corinthians 4:4

Is it Light or Darkness?

v.35

Be careful lest the light in you be darkness.

Isaiah 5:20-21

Isaiah 5:20–21 ESV

20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!

We see the world around us, people who are justifying their actions, people who are destroying others and believing that they are doing what is right.

This is an easy thing for us believers to see, those who are in darkness, but believe that they are in light.

Proverbs 26:12

Proverbs 26:12 ESV

12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

There are people, who think they are doing what is right. They see themselves as wise.

I see Christians who are on this road. Believers who are wise in their own eyes. Who go to church on Sunday morning but what guides them isn’t the bible, it’s the things of this world.

When they are in need of hope or encouragement, they don’t turn to other believers or the word of God, they turn to people who are just as hopelessly lost as they are.

And they believe they find wisdom without consulting the bible without consulting God. There is more hope for a fool than for them.

Having No Part of Darkness

v.36, This is a chiasm or what I like to call a sandwich.

If you want to be full of light, have no part of the darkness.

Ephesians 5:6-10

Ephesians 5:6–10 ESV

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

The bible has words for every area of life. Search the bible to find what is pleasing to the Lord. Don’t be looking from wisdom from the world until you have searched for it from God.

We need to be searching through scripture on how to please God in every area of our lives. This is what the Queen of Sheba did. We need to turn from the things that God calls us not to do, that is what the Ninevites did. We must have an outlook on the world that comes from knowing that God is there, and that He has the answers for our problems in His word.