This generation is an evil generation;
Like the Israelites that wandered in the desert but did not enter the promised land Jesus called his own generation an evil generation. The Israelites in the desert grumbled against God and his providential care, saying they preferred slavery in Egypt because then at least they could have a greater variety of food and because the difficulty of the exodus made them forget how brutal were their lives as slaves under Pharoah.
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
Just as God cared for Israel in the desert and provided for it but the people grumbled so too had Jesus made himself manifest in many signs, but never to the full satisfaction of his generation. They always seemed to want more, one more final proof to believe. Until, of course, they had it, when they would think of something else Jesus must do to prove himself. It was becoming obvious that no sign would suffice to overcome this hardness of heart.
except the sign of Jonah.
In response to their spiritual blindness Jesus tried to help his generation to recognize the sign they had already seen. If the Ninevites repented at the preaching of Jonah how much more ought the contemporaries of Jesus repent at his preaching. If the queen of the south was willing to travel far to hear the wisdom of Solomon how much more ought the contemporaries of Jesus have been willing to listen to what he taught.
there is something greater than Solomon here.
Solomon was filled with wisdom such that no one had been his equal. But Jesus was himself "the power of God and the wisdom of God" (see First Corinthians 1:24). As for Jonah, he didn't even desire the salvation of Nineveh. He preached to them because God didn't leave him a choice. But Jesus came precisely because of his love for us, and preached because he desired all to be saved, none to be lost. The foreigners to whom Jonah came were so shaken by his preaching as to convert, from least to greatest. But the generation to whom Jesus came, by and large, did not receive him, in spite of his sincerity, in spite of his coming as one of them.
He came unto his own, and his own received him not (see John 1:11).
Sometimes demanding another sign is just delaying a response we already understand we ought to make. God has done more for us to reveal himself to us than he ever did for the exodus generation. They received the manna from heaven, but we, bread of angels, the flesh of our Lord. They received water from the rock, but we, the Holy Spirit poured into our hearts.
We have heard and bear witness to a greater teacher than Jonah or even Solomon, one whose wisdom upends and makes foolish all so-called human wisdom. He comes to us with such great love and sincerity that it surpasses all that for which we can ask or imagine, more than we had any right to hope.
He continues to draw near to us because Jesus is always asking us to grow in our response to him. The immature yes of the beginner disciple must give way to a more comprehensive yes. We must transition from being among this crowd of spectators, who are never impressed enough to progress, to the closer circle of those who actually put their trust in Jesus, want to follow him, and allow him to change our lives. We need what Paul calls "the obedience of faith".
The sign of Jonah that Jesus provided was not limited to his teaching. It culminated when he spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Jonah was spit forth from the belly of the fish onto dry land. But Jesus was raised up in glory, "established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead". This sign was sufficient to overcome any doubt, sufficient to transform the world and set it on fire. May we not take it for granted and thereby allow the fire in our own hearts grow dim. The risen Lord has given us all that we need to trust him. So let us trust him!
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