Matthew 12:38-42

Exodus 14:5-18

Exodus 15:1bc-2, 3-4, 5-6

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 offers that gives testimony to the authenticity of his message and claims of divinity is a powerful one. He refers the scribes and Pharisees back to the prophet Jonah, who was called to preach to the Gentile enemies of Israel a message of repentance. 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 after three days. In a similar, but far-surpassing way, Jesus will rise from the heart of the earth three days after his crucifixion. Jonah was revived and brought back to earthly life, but would die again one day. Jesus 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 the message of Jonah, the conversion of the Roman Empire was a sign of the authenticity of the Gospel preached by Jesus.

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 until 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 head of gold and the winged lion in Daniel’s prophecy), who were conquered by the Medo-Persians (the chest of silver and the lop-sided bear), who were conquered by the Greeks (the bronze torso and four-headed leopard), who were conquered by the Romans (the legs and feet of iron and clay and the dragon-like beast). Daniel prophesied that in the time of the fourth Kingdom, which historically corresponded to the Roman Empire, 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 (see Daniel 9:24-26). One can imagine the excitement of the people when Jesus began calling himself the “Son of Man,” worked prophetic signs, and spoke about the coming of the “Kingdom of God.” Jesus truly surpasses not only the prophet Jonah but also King Solomon. 

3. Serving and Worshipping in Egypt: In the First Reading, the people of Israel have made their departure (exodus) from Egypt on the night of Passover. It dawned on Pharaoh and his servants what they had done: “Why, we have released Israel from our service!” The Hebrew word “avodah” means both “service” and “worship.” We are called to serve God and worship God. While in Egypt, the people of Israel were enslaved and served Pharaoh. They were also tempted to worship the Egyptian gods. When the people of Israel cross the sea, it is a departure from slavery and the worship of pagan gods to the freedom of the children of God. It eventually leads to the Sinai covenant and the giving of the Ten Commandments. The First Commandment reads: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall not have other gods beside me. You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or serve them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their ancestors’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but showing love down to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:2-6). 

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

Living the Word of God: The crossing of the sea foreshadows our Baptism and the passage from the slavery of sin to the freedom of the children of God. We are called to put away any disordered worship of idols: money, power, pleasure, and health.