Matthew 12:38-42

Matthew 12:38-42

Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,

“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”

He said to them in reply,

“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,

but no sign will be given it

except the sign of Jonah the prophet.

Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,

so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth

three days and three nights.

At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation

and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;

and there is something greater than Jonah here.

At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation

and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth

to hear the wisdom of Solomon;

and there is something greater than Solomon here.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I praise you for your mighty works. I do not need more signs and wonders to convince me that you have sent your Son to redeem the fallen world and establish the new creation. I believe in the Resurrection of your Son and will proclaim it to the entire world.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Sign of Jonah: The sign that Jesus offered as testimony to the authenticity of his message and to his divinity claim was a powerful one. He referred the scribes and Pharisees back to the prophet Jonah, who was called to preach a message of repentance to the Gentile enemies of Israel. Jonah fled the call and eventually ended up in the belly of a great fish. He was spewed upon the shore and brought back to life three days after his death in the sea. In a similar, but far-surpassing way, Jesus will rise from the heart of the earth three days after his death on the cross. The prophet Jonah was revived and brought back to earthly life, but would die again one day. Jesus, by contrast, was raised from the dead and would enjoy a new, glorious, and eternal life. Jonah’s preaching to the Ninevites was simple but effective. The people of the capital city of the Assyrian Empire repented and acknowledged the sovereignty of the Lord God of Israel. In a similar, but far-surpassing way, the Roman Empire would be converted after the resurrection of Jesus through the preaching of the Apostles, their successors, their coworkers, and the new people of God. Just as the conversion of the Assyrian Empire was a sign of the authenticity of Jonah’s prophetic message, the conversion of the Roman Empire was a sign of the authenticity of the Gospel preached by Jesus and his disciples.

2. The Kingdom of the Son of Man: When Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man, this evoked the prophecy of Daniel about the Son of Man and the rise and fall of four kingdoms before the coming of the Kingdom of God. The Assyrians, who were in power when Jonah was called to prophesy to them, were conquered by the Babylonians (the first kingdom: the head of gold and the winged lion in Daniel’s prophecies) between 626 and 609 B.C. The Babylonians were later conquered by the Medo-Persians (the second kingdom: the chest of silver and the lop-sided bear) in 539 B.C. The Persians were conquered by the Greeks (the third kingdom: the bronze torso and four-headed leopard) in 331 B.C. And the Greeks were conquered by the Romans (the fourth kingdom: the legs and feet of iron and clay and the dragon-like beast) in 146 B.C. Daniel prophesied that during the time of the fourth kingdom, the Kingdom of God would be established by the Son of Man. Daniel also prophesied that the Lord’s anointed (the Messiah) would be cut down 490 years after the command of Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem (457 B.C.) (see Daniel 9:24-26). One can only imagine the excitement of the people of Galilee when Jesus began calling himself the “Son of Man,” worked prophetic signs, and spoke about the coming of the “Kingdom of God.” All of this took place during the rule of the Romans, the fourth kingdom in Daniel’s prophecy, as the 490 years were nearing their completion in A.D. 33.

3. The Wisdom of Solomon: Jesus, the Son of Man, truly surpassed not only the prophet Jonah but also King Solomon. In the Gospel, Jesus recalled how the “queen of the south,” the Queen of Sheba, traveled from afar to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Sheba was likely an Arabian kingdom in modern-day Yemen and the Horn of Africa that began shortly before the reign of Solomon (970-931 B.C.). Like the story of Jonah, it involved a Gentile hearing and responding to God’s word and wisdom. The queen went to test Solomon with “subtle questions” (1 Kings 10:1). “She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue, and with camels bearing spices, a large amount of gold, and precious stones. She came to Solomon and spoke to him about everything that she had on her mind. King Solomon explained everything she asked about, and there was nothing so obscure that the king could not explain it to her. When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom, the house he had built, the food at his table, the seating of his ministers, the attendance and dress of his waiters, his servers, and the burnt offerings he offered in the house of the Lord, it took her breath away” (1 Kings 10:2-5). The queen blessed the Lord and praised his enduring love (hesed). She offered gold, spices, and precious stones that Solomon likely used for the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus pointed out to the scribes and Pharisees that he was greater than King Solomon. Jesus is the true Son of David and the Son of God who was sent with the surpassing wisdom of the Gospel, and yet the scribes and Pharisees were blind to this. Unlike the Queen of Sheba, who tested Solomon with questions and responded to his wisdom by offering tribute and blessing, the scribes and Pharisees were testing the New Solomon but were rejecting his wisdom.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I praise you and thank you for your prophetic teaching and royal wisdom. You are the great prophet who has taught us the way to heaven. I praise you and thank you for the gift of your wisdom. Your Kingdom lasts forever, and you have graciously brought me into it.

Living the Word of God: Where is the Lord inviting me to deepen my faith in the power of his death and Resurrection rather than seeking extraordinary signs? What area of my life needs greater repentance so that I may live more fully under the reign of Jesus, the Son of Man? How can I imitate the Queen of Sheba by seeking Christ’s wisdom each day and offering him the tribute of my love, praise, and faithful obedience?