Read and Believe in Jesus.

“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” Matthew 12:38

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REVIEW – Last time, the Pharisees, who were already trying to find a reason to “destroy” Jesus because He showed them up for the pious frauds they were, now claimed that Jesus used the power of Satan (Beelzebul) to free a man who was tormented by demons. Jesus fired back that anyone who attributed the power of the precious Holy Spirit to Satan would not be forgiven here or in the world to come. That sin was the “unforgivable sin.”

“Out of the abundance of the HEART the mouth speaks,” Jesus told them. Good people speak good from the good treasure of their hearts, but evil people can’t help but speak evil from the dark depths of their evil hearts.

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Matthew 12: 38-39.

Brushing off that serious rebuke and warning from Jesus, the Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law, demanded that Jesus “show them a sign” to “prove” His authority to speak that way to them.

“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign.” Jesus fires back, and then continues. ‘NO SIGN will be given except the sign of Jonah.”

Jesus meant two things by “the sign of Jonah.”

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Matthew 12:40-42.

First, and obvious, Jesus compared Jonah’s 3 days inside the “great fish” to the 3 days He would be in the tomb before His resurrection. This was future, however, and meant nothing to the religious leaders at the time. (After Jesus arose, they spent a lot of time bribing and lying to cover it up.)

The teachers of the law would have known the second “sign” of Jonah very well.

Jonah was one of their prophets. His story is in four chapters in the book named after him. Yes, he disobeyed God and ran from the mission to preach to Nineveh (the capital city of their dreaded enemies), got tossed out of a boat, and was swallowed by that fish.

THEN, after being coughed up, he did what God called him to do in the first place: he went to Nineveh, preached to them, and… lo, and behold, the whole city repented in sackcloth and ashes!

Jesus said that the repenting people of Nineveh would rise up to judge these current “religious” leaders of the people on the day of judgment for their rejecting one greater than the prophet – their own Messiah.

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To drive the point home, so these teachers of Old Testament law would understand, Jesus said they would be judged against the Queen of Sheba too. She traveled long and hard on a sincere quest into the truth of Solomon’s wisdom. THESE Pharisees had Jesus right there, so much greater than Solomon, and yet they rejected, scorned, and even plotted to kill Him.

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Matthew 12:43-45.

Then Jesus tells a parable that is difficult to understand at first glance. But He was still talking to the religious leaders who had demanded a sign so they would believe.

In this story, there is a “person,” an “unclean spirit,” a “house,” an “unnamed housecleaner,” and “seven other more evil spirits.”

The story tells of Israel’s past and the many false idols they came to worship and even set up in the temple. God punished them with an exile to Babylon and the destruction of their magnificent temple.

This was the sweeping out of the “unclean spirit” among God’s people. In His mercy, the people returned and rebuilt the Temple, having learned their lesson about idols. And yet, a greater evil now inhabited the Temple: sacrifices, religious services, and teaching; the proud, self-sufficient Teachers of the Law, who bound the people with their minute rules more than the idols had.

The “last state” with the religious leaders sinning and binding the people in more and more rules, and keeping them away from their Messiah, was worse than the first condition.

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The religious leaders probably “got” what Jesus was saying, if the crowds did not. They simmered and plotted His destruction … instead of recognizing their error and turning to Him.

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Matthew 12:46-50.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the crowd, Jesus’ earthly family stood asking to speak to Him. His mother, Mary, and his brothers (two or more of James, Joseph, Simon & Jude). Someone called out to Jesus to alert Him.

Now you might think He would turn and signal a path for His mom and brothers, and hug Mary when she came near. But no. He announced what seems to us like rudeness.

“Who is my mothers, and who are my brothers?”

And gesturing towards His disciples, added, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whosoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Jesus did not put down His earthly family; after all, THEY needed Him as their Savior as well. In His mission and destination on the cross, those who believed in Him as the saving Messiah were “doing the will of His Father in heaven.”

(Mary would do just that, and at least two of His 1/2 brothers did as well: James and Jude).