Saturday, July 11, 2009
Matthew 12:39-40 . . . no sign will be given to (you) except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For 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 SIGN OF THE PROPHET JONAH
During His earthly ministry our Lord used some surprising illustrations to teach divine truths. Drawing a parallel between Himself and the brass serpent Moses lifted up in the Sinai desert was certainly one of these (John 3:14-15).
Now, the man for whom Jesus drew this parallel came to believe that He was indeed the Christ. Nicodemus believed--and finally demonstrated his faith on the day His Lord was crucified (John 19:38ff).
But many of Nicodemus' fellow Jews did not believe Jesus was the promised Messiah--no matter what the message He proclaimed or the miracles He performed. Indeed, in the face of overwhelming evidence that Jesus was the Coming One, some of the Pharisees demanded He give them a special sign.
Jesus did give them a special sign--one that had been in the making for centuries: the sign of Jonah. Of course, this did not satisfy the demands of the unbelieving Pharisees. They wanted their demands met immediately. Unbelief always wants to tell God what to do--and is never satisfied with what He has done no matter how splendid or spectacular.
But we are thankful those men were so bold and presumptuous in their demands of Jesus. For it is unlikely we would have recognized that great event in the life of the reluctant prophet to Ninevah as an historical advance-picture of the Savior's victory over death and the grave if it were not pointed out to us by Christ Himself. But since He has drawn our attention to this Bible picture of His greatest triumph we are only too happy to sing:
All the earth with joy is sounding: Christ has risen from the dead!
He, the great Jonah, bounding From the grave, His three-day bed,
Wins the prize: Death’s demise Songs of triumph fill the skies.
(Worship Supplement 2000, 729:1)
