Matthew 12:38-42 - Lessons from Jonah and the Queen of Sheba

Despite all that was taking place in Jesus’ ministry, His opponents, the scribes and Pharisees, could not see the Kingdom moment working through Him. It’s a case of people who had decided not to accept Him. They had stubbornly refused to acknowledge what God was revealing concerning the Lord Jesus. All the healing and deliverance were conclusive signs that Jesus was their long awaited Messiah. To the opponents, those supernatural happenings were still not adequate to prove the claims of Jesus, so they came to Him asking for a more conclusive sign. But He refused to provide any. 

Since they have chosen not to see the clues all around them, it would be too late by the time the plot unfold itself.  The sign they would finally see would be the Son of man buried in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights, just as Jonah was in the belly of the sea creature for the same duration. And Just as Jonah returned alive to preach to the people of Nineveh, so His resurrection would be one clear sign that they wouldn’t be able to miss concerning who He claimed to be. But by then it would be too late, all the signs pointing to the Messiah which they had refused to acknowledge, would have already passed before them.

Jesus continued to compare His opponents unfavorably with pagans – the people of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba. At least in the case of the people of Nineveh, they repented on hearing Jonah’s preaching. They acknowledged the message of the God of Israel sent through His prophet. In the case of the Queen of Sheba, on hearing the wisdom of Solomon, she recognized the message of the God of Israel coming through a king. The audience of Jesus already recognized that Jesus was a prophet and now they suspected that He could be the Messiah King. In saying that something greater than Jonah and Solomon is here, Jesus was affirming His ministry as both Prophet and King.    

 

How undiscerning could those opposing Jews be? Pagans, like the people of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba, could recognize the message of the God of Israel sent through a prophet and a king respectively. But His own people, the Jews, were not able to recognize Jesus despite the signs God was demonstrating through Him. Hence the Lord’s conclusion was that they were no better than the pagans. Those opponents of Jesus were indeed an evil and adulterous generation. And the pagans of Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba would reveal their folly and rise to indict them in the final judgement. As we are seeking to relate with the Lord more and more, don’t be so busy chasing after the signs till we miss the Lord!