Jonah, the Scribes and Pharisees, and Us

When the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus to provide a sign from
heaven to prove his message, he flatly refused to oblige. Instead, he rebuked
them: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be
given to it except the sign of Jonah” (Matthew 12.39). What did Jesus mean by
this cryptic response?

In order to answer that question, we need to understand Jonah’s story.
Jonah was perhaps the most belligerent prophet in the Scriptures. He is the only
prophet who flatly refused to speak a message from God. When instructed to
leave Israel and travel to the Assyrian empire to warn against their destruction,
Jonah promptly boarded a ship and attempted to sail in the opposite direction – to
Spain! When a violent sea storm halted his progress, he convinced the sailors to
throw him overboard. Instead of drowning, however, God sent a gigantic fish to
swallow him and then vomit him onto dry land. Jonah finally went to Assyria,
spoke his message as quickly as possible, and then furiously watched the
Assyrians repent of their sins and enjoy the forgiveness of God.

When Jesus spoke of the sign of Jonah, he partly meant that Jonah’s
story pointed forward to his own. He went on to explain: “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” (vs. 40). Although Jonah was
thrown overboard and seemed gone forever, he reemerged to live again.
Although Jesus seemed gone forever as he died on the cross and was buried in
Joseph’s tomb, he reemerged to live again. His powerful resurrection
authenticated his message.

But there’s more to this “sign of Jonah.” By using Jonah’s story, Jesus
caused his enemies to think about their unsettling similarities to Jonah. Jonah was
angry that God extended his blessings to foreign nations outside of Abraham’s
family. The Assyrians were idolatrous pagans known for their barbaric cruelty.
How could God forgive them and insist on using an Israelite to bring that
message? This attitude of Jonah was the same mindset as the scribes and
Pharisees. Jesus came to set up an international kingdom where anyone, Jew or
non–Jew, can find an equal place at the table of fellowship. Like Jonah, the
scribes and Pharisees angrily ran as far from that plan as possible. And like
Jonah, they quickly discovered the futility of fighting against God in his work of
loving his enemies.

What about us? Do we pay lip service to Jesus’ gospel plan to extend
forgiveness to all nations, but harbor anger in our hearts towards certain
individuals or people groups? Do we only want certain kinds of people in our
church? Are we truly interested in joining hands with people of different
personalities, ages, educational backgrounds, and economic levels in Jesus’
kingdom? If not, perhaps we also need to ponder the sign of Jonah.
–Nathan