Missing the Signs Matthew 12:38-52

Intro

One time, when my two oldest were really young I was driving down to OC

We were on the 101 going thru downtown LA

When you come out of Downtown the 101 ends and there are all of these freeway interchanges with corresponding signs

If you’re not in the right lane you can easily end up on the wrong freeway

One of my children asked me a question and I missed my exit to the 5 south

Pretty soon we were heading east on the 10 and there weren’t any options to exit and back track for awhile

It took me 20 minutes to exit the fwy, turnaround, and get back on the I5

Missing the signs is something that we are all familiar with

Read Matthew 12:38-41

Transition:

By the time the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus to show them a special sign, their opposition to Him had already hardened into hatred.

Even before Jesus accused them of blaspheming the Holy Spirit and of thereby eternally forfeiting God’s forgiveness, they had been planning “how they might destroy Him”

The more the Jewish leaders verbally attacked Jesus and sought to entrap Him, the more He exposed the foolishness, insensitivity, and ungodliness of their traditions and attitudes.

Because of their repeated embarrassment in failing to prove Jesus was either teaching or doing anything unscriptural, the Pharisees were concerned about losing their reputation with the people.

They wanted to be sure the next attempt to discredit Him would succeed, and they believed that demanding a special sign from Him would be certain to prove that He was an imposter and deceiver and would save their own reputations.

Sadly, they were missing all of the signs

I. Headed in the Wrong Direction vs. 38-42

Missing signs can be proof that you are headed in the wrong direction

vs. 38 Seeking a sign

Why did the Scribes & Pharisees want to see a sign?

Their desire to see a sign really expressed another way in which they hoped to reject Him.

They know what the law & prophets say

1 Corinthians 1:22 ESV

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,

They had seen multiple miracles performed by Jesus

They were plotting to kill him because he healed a man’s withered hand on the sabbath

They weren’t asking to see a sign because of lack of examples

vs. 39-40 Evil Generation

Jesus addresses why they want to see a sign

They were an evil and adulterous generation

Jesus wasn’t going to give them a sign on demand

They wanted Jesus to give them a sign so they could further accuse him of wrongdoing

They wanted more examples of how He was breaking their laws

This shows you that signs and wonders don’t produce disciples

People will beg God to show a sign so that their family or friends will believe

Jesus tells them they will only have the sign of the prophet Jonah

What was that sign? Let’s first look at what happened to Jonah

Jonah 1:17 ESV

And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

In the Old Testament, Nineveh, responsible for permanently destroying the northern kingdom of Israel, epitomized wickedness; but the repentance of Nineveh in Jonah 3:10 also taught that God could spare pagans who turned to him

Jonah was supposed to go and preach to the Ninevites

He refused and ran away

Jesus caused a storm and had Jonah thrown overboard

Jonah was foreshadowing what Jesus would do, be in the grave for three days

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

There was another way that Jonah was a sign

He was a sacrifice , given up for remission of the sin

Jonah was indeed a picture of the work of Jesus.

Jonah gave his life to appease the wrath of God coming upon others.

But death did not hold him; after three days and nights of imprisonment, he was alive and free.

This is a glorious picture of Jesus in an unexpected place.

Jesus gave up his life as remission for our sins

vs. 41-42 Rise up and Judge

Simply put, greater light requires greater judgment.

Both Nineveh and the queen of the South repented even though they had a lesser light shining in their midst.

The rejection of the greater light by the religious leaders was indefensible.

II. Worse than the First vs. 43-45

Missing the signs can makes things worse

vs. 43-44 Unclean spirit returning

This section of scripture appears that it is referring to demon possession, but it’s main point is about man made religion

He explained the seriousness of rejecting Him as completely as the religious leaders had.

The religious leaders belief was on their self effort

You can eliminate unclean spirits, bad habits, or wrong influences for a period of time

You can, under your will power, clean your life up for a while

That unclean spirit will roam around seeking rest but eventually it will come back home

That is why Peter warned us

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

vs. 45 Worse than the First

When you attempt to clean up your life on your own you run the risk of it being worse than it was at first

Use of the illustration shows us some interesting principles of demon possession, and shows us that Jesus regarded it as a real phenomenon and not just a contemporary superstition.

Apparently demons (or at least some of them) desire a human host and look for a place among the empty, seeing it as an invitation.

A demon can only inhabit someone if he finds it empty – that is, without the indwelling Spirit of Jesus Christ. If it is empty, it does not matter to the demon if it is also swept, and put in order.

If we are filled with Jesus – being born again by the Spirit of God – then we cannot be empty and therefore inhabited by demons.

Hebrews 10:26 ESV

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

III. Relationship Matters vs. 46-50

Knowing the signs comes from having a relationship with Jesus

vs. 46 Family seeking Jesus

Fidelity to and respect for one’s family were so heavily emphasized that such words must have struck their hearers quite forcefully.

Many Jewish interpreters regarded the command to honor father and mother as the most important in the law

Considering the opposition to Jesus, it may well be that the family of Jesus wanted to appeal to Him to not be so controversial in His ministry.

We might have expected that Jesus’ family would have special privileges before Him. It almost surprises us that they did not have such special privileges.

vs. 47 no verse in ESV

Notice in the ESV vs. 47 doesn’t exist?

It does in the NKJV

This verse doesn’t appear in the earlier manuscripts

vs. 48-49 Who is my family

Who is My mother:

Mary, the mother of Jesus, had no special favor with Jesus either then or now.

She stands as a wonderful example of one who was privileged by God and stood by Jesus, but she is not on a higher level than anyone who does the will of My Father in heaven.

iWho are My brothers: J

esus plainly had brothers.

The Roman Catholic idea of the perpetual virginity of Mary is in contradiction to the plain meaning of the Bible.

vs. 50 Whoever does the will of my Father

These beloved ones who do the will of God stand in contrast to the evil and adulterous generation represented by the Pharisees

Galatians 5:6 ESV

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.