Our last study looked at Jesus’ reply to the religious leaders
and His warning to the listening people to be careful with their words because
they reveal who they really are inside. The
treasures of the tongue reveal what one is really like. The leaders’ words
reveal they are false teachers and there is coming a day of reckoning when
everyone’s words (as well as their deeds) will be examined.
This time we are following up with Matthew’s report of how
these leaders responded to Jesus’ stinging accusation as we look at Matthew 12:38-45.
The Pharisees and scribes (the official Old Testament Bible
scholars) responded by demanding that Jesus the Rabbi prove (by doing a miracle)
that He has the authority to say these things.
A Rabbi usually cited his authority by saying Rabbi Hillel says this and
Rabbi Rambam says that, etc. They seldom
spoke on their own authority which Jesus was doing. So they wanted Him to “prove” His own authority—which
they doubted He had.
Jesus responded and called them an “evil and adulterous
generation” because they were seeking miraculous proof for what they already
knew was true in their own heart! They
wanted to be judged in the outer world where everyone saw only the outsides of
things—never the insides. They also felt
confident that they now had the people on their side and could explain away any
miracle Jesus might perform. But Jesus’
words were self-authenticating. He is
the Word made flesh (as John puts it).
He knew what was in their hearts and they knew He somehow knew. But they wanted to keep on pretending. Each one listening to Him was convicted
without realizing that this was true of everyone else, too. The knee-jerk answer to this kind of
accusation was denial. Gotta keep
pretending. So, they replied: “Prove
it!” Prove we are evil.
Jesus replied that their demand for proof was in itself
proof of their evil intent! But here is
the only additional proof you will get from me:
the sign of Jonah! He clarified
the sign by stating that just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for
three days and three nights so will the Son of Man (do the same).
By the way, Jesus believed that Jonah really was swallowed
by a huge fish and lived to tell about it. Some people say He was just
accommodating Himself to the ignorance of the people. But since He claimed to be the Messiah, He
would know how it would be seen in years to come. An accommodation would be like saying, “just
as sure as Santa Claus comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve so the Son of
Man will come down from heaven.”
Now the sign of Jonah is referring to a burial for only three
days and three nights – not just death and burial but resurrection on the third
day! If not, it would be death and
burial forever not just three days and three nights.
By the way, what happened after Jonah was deposited back on
the beach? The Gentile city of Nineveh
saw and heard Jonah and repented! Would
Israel believe after Jesus died and is buried three days and then resurrected?
The Queen of the South (meaning Sheba) came from the “ends
of the earth” to see and hear the wisdom of Solomon as reported in 1 Kings 10. Would Israel cross the street to see and hear
the wisdom of the Messiah (who came from heaven)? In both cases, Jesus said there was Someone
even greater present right now – greater than Jonah and greater than
Solomon. And the despised Gentiles? They believed! They repented!
But the people and their leaders here are rejecting Jesus unlike
the Gentiles would whom Jesus suggests would readily hear His message, repent,
and believe. Even Jesus’ resurrection
will not stir these people like it will stir the Gentiles. What an indictment! Be careful that you don’t resist the
convicting work of the Spirit of God.
When you sense the weight of your own sin, do not try to hide or run or
deny it—even to yourself. It is time to
turn to God who is allowing you to truly see and to freely choose to
repent. Don’t run from God.
In verses 43-45 Jesus makes a seemingly off-topic remark
about a person who had once been demonized but had the evil spirit cast out. Afterwards
the demon will come back with seven more demons making the person even more
miserable than before. While we can
learn about how demons operate by this comment, Jesus is not randomly teaching on
demonology. Rather, He is using this to
teach about the situation Israel was putting themselves into.
Jesus has traveled the length and breadth of
Israel as have his apostles as well as His forerunner, John the Baptist,
teaching and preaching repentance because the Kingdom of heaven is in
reach. He has made the good news
available everywhere. He has cast out
evil spirits, He has healed, and He has worked miracles out of concern for the
people. This is just like a person who
has been freed from an evil spirit and been giving clothing and fed but who
decides that repentance is not needed. Unbelief
will return sevenfold because she has refused the only One Who can provide
ultimate freedom.
Israel, in refusing
Christ, is just like that. While Israel was
under the hearing of the Word and the convicting of the Spirit they still have
an opportunity to repent and believe. If
they persist in unbelief after Jesus is crucified, buried, and rises from the
dead then Israel’s situation will become much much worse. And it did—in AD 70. Not just the centuries of persecution, but
their unbelief has spiritual ramifications as well. So much for Matthew’s immediate application
to the nation of Israel who listened to Jesus that sorrowful day and rejected
Him and His message.
How does this apply to us today? What if we fail to believe in Jesus and
repent? What will happen? Hebrews 3 says, “Harden not your heart. Today is the day of salvation. Repent while it is still today.” We just don’t know how long our window of
opportunity will remain open.
And here’s this:
unless we repent of our sin—we will become enslaved to it. 1 John 1:8 says, if we say we have no sin we
have only fooled ourselves.
© 2018 Eric Thimell
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