We have examined two successive rounds of questions that
Jesus endured at the hands of the religious leaders and the unexpected answers
and actions that Jesus provided in return.
To try to regain face, the Pharisees ascribed Jesus’ power to Beelzebul
and they also attempted to recast His public image as One Who rejected the
traditions of the elders. As a result,
Jesus’ public support as a spiritual leader began to wane. They still loved His ability to heal and
provide bread but they were unsure of His authority to teach.
In Matthew 16, the Pharisees demanded that He provide a sign
from heaven. They had already made this
demand after spreading their opinion that Jesus’ power came from Beelzebul in
Chapter 12. But Jesus had refused to
give any such sign. He said, “An evil
and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it
except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”
This statement is repeated verbatim in chapter 16 but with some differences
we will examine.
Notice that in chapter 12 it was the scribes and
Pharisees. In our text in chapter 16 we have the Pharisees and
Sadducees. The Pharisees and Sadducees
were usually at odds with one another.
But here they have agreed together to test Jesus (according to verse 1). The Sadducees did not even believe in
miracles so their participation was entirely gratuitous. They had an ulterior motive. Matthew says
they wanted to test Him. We already know
how that turned out for Satan at Jesus’ testing in the wilderness.
Notice here that Jesus’ opening comment is a little
different. He begins by talking about
signs in the weather. This sort of sign
they all believed in—just as everyone does even today. This is called “empirical evidence.” It’s based on careful observations that have
been shown to be repeatable. This is not
the same thing as rigid proof (i.e. that it is known that it will always happen
that way) but it is as close as finite people can come.
They all knew that in Israel when the sky was red in the
evening (i.e. in the west), they could expect fair weather. But a red sky in the morning (i.e. in the
east) meant stormy weather was coming.
We have a similar proverbial saying among sailors: “Red sky at night—sailor’s
delight. Red sky in the morning—sailors
take warning.”
But Jesus pointed out that they had no way of applying
observational science to God’s timetable—the signs of the times. Then He repeated His comment that He had
given earlier in chapter 12 and quoted above.
Why is there no sign to be given to an “evil and adulterous generation?” If a person is rebelling against God—actively
resisting God—you cannot compel such a person to believe. You can give them evidence—such as you
have—but faith is ultimately a heart matter—not a head matter. So, what is the evidence that they will be
given—for what good it will do—to those who are rejecting God?
Once again, Jesus repeats the sign that they will get— “the
sign of Jonah.” Or as chapter 12 called
it— “the sign of the prophet Jonah.”
In chapter 12, recall that Jesus added a comment – “For just as Jonah
was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son
of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh
will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they
repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is
here.”
There are
actually two points that Jesus is making in both chapter 12 and repeated here in
chapter 16.
1) Jesus predicts His own resurrection from the
dead. And
2) Jesus’ credentials as a prophet of God—as One
Who speaks for God—will be obvious after His resurrection. (He doesn’t expound on that theme here but
Matthew looking back records that Jesus does predict not only His death but
also His resurrection on the third day.)
Some might take this by itself as proof of His divinity, but others also
rose from the dead in the past and will again in the future. But taken as a predicted sign, it does prove
His credentials to speak for God.
How do you test a
prophet of God?
1) Do they teach
contrary to God’s already revealed commands?
2) Do their
predictions come true? (Of course,
combined with such credentials, notice that He does claim to be the Messiah in
other places. Also in a few paragraphs
down, Peter will make the leap and exclaim, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the
Living God’ and Jesus accepts this worship but cautions the disciples not to
discuss this publicly. More on this when
we study those verses.)
Notice also, that Jonah was a prophet whose warnings were heeded
and a city was saved from destruction. Jesus, in His role as a prophet of God
(one of His many roles at that time), was warning the people of Israel over and
over to ‘repent for the Kingdom of God is within reach.’ Since they are rejecting His role as a
spokesman for God, they are not going to get any further sign. That’s all Nineveh got and they repented.
It is important that we understand, then, what is meant by
repentance. In Nineveh’s case, they
needed to turn from their wicked ways (Jonah 3:8-10). In Israel’s case, they refused to listen to
God’s Spokesman patiently explain what God desired of their behavior. (By the way, in Jonah’s day, the deadline was
40 days. In Jesus’ day, Jerusalem would
be destroyed in 40 years.) How does
repentance apply to us?
God is a holy God in His nature and cannot abide sin in any
form. We are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and
deserve eternal separation (Romans 6:23) from this holy God. But Jesus’ took upon Himself all our sins and
died in our place that we might not perish but have eternal life with God (Jn.
3:16). So, we who are believers receive
salvation as a free gift (Eph 2:8-9).
Yet even those who truly believe continue to sin—though
maybe not so blatantly—yet it is still sin that God cannot abide. We can confess it and God will forgive us (1
Jn. 1:9) based on the merits of Christ’s death in our place but there must also
be a desire in us to stop committing sins.
Every siren call in our body, in the world, from the devil, must be
marked off as sin and replaced with a desire to please God in all things. This turnabout is called repentance. And we need to do it as often as needed.
Some Bible teachers also see it as a prerequisite for being
born again—but the Biblical requirement for salvation is faith not works or
efforts. So, we begin by faith and for
some it may frequently involve turning from some sins that we know are opposed
to God’s will—certainly anything that prevents us from trusting in Christ
alone. Repentance is needed at the
beginning to whatever extent sin may be an obstacle to belief in Jesus.
The problem is that our repentance is not as comprehensive
as we would like it to be. But it is
something that every child of God will need to participate in as the Spirit of
God convicts us by the Word of God—the sword of the Spirit. It will be a lifelong process to willingly
and obediently turn from things that we come to see as opposed to the nature of
God. It will not be completed in one
moment of time.
The Pharisees had twin problems: they were hypocrites and they refused to
repent even when Jesus, God’s Spokesman, exposed them. Matthew gives this ominous last word in 16:4,
‘So He left them, and departed.’ May we
not reject or resist the uncomfortable conviction of God. Our window of opportunity is limited. If you continue to feel conviction, thank
God. He hasn’t departed! He is still
dealing with you and pleading with you.
We only have a limited window of opportunity when God will continue to
work in us in this life.
Now, of course, the evil one can also use past indiscretions
to immobilize us. If we have confessed
them and repented of them then we are clear before God, but if not, they can
prevent us from living a victorious Christian life. How can you tell if your discomfort from past
sins is from God or the evil one? The
Spirit of God is always specific. Satan
leaves you in a muddle.
Someone greater than Jonah the prophet, far greater, has
spoken for God. The Pharisees and
Sadducees closed their ears and Jesus departed from them.
© 2018 Eric Thimell
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