Between chapters 8 and 12 in the Gospel of Matthew, 11 miracles of healing and/or deliverance take place. Many of these occurred in Galilee and were open for all to see. In the face of God’s activity through Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees still needed more evidence of Jesus’ divine mission.
“Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you'” (Matthew 12:38).
If a sign was needed, the 11 miracles should have sufficed. The real issue was their objection to Jesus’ authority. They resisted Jesus because His behavior challenged what they believed was their realm of control.
The issue of authority is more than a history lesson and is as current as our daily attitudes and actions. The question for us is whether we will willingly follow Jesus’ direction. To the extent that we demand to live according to our own best thinking, we, like the scribes and Pharisees, challenge Jesus’ authority.
The Sign of Jonah
In today’s YouTube video, Rudy Ross points out that the story of Jonah is read during the afternoon service on the Day of Atonement in the Jewish synagogue. God’s plan never fails to amaze me. Jesus referred to Jonah as He spoke to the religious leaders about a sign.
“But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and indeed something greater than Jonah is here!'” (Matthew 12:39-41).
Notice the way Jesus speaks about “this generation” of people. They are “evil and adulterous” and destined to be condemned. The fundamental issue of “this generation” is that they want God on their own terms. They want Him to accommodate Himself to their preferences, thus asking for still another authenticating sign.
They will receive a sign, but it will come after they taunt Jesus on the cross, asking Him to prove His authority by coming down (Matthew 27:41-43). Jesus refused a display of power from the cross, but provided a sign through the resurrection three days later, after the fashion of Jonah’s deliverance from the fish.
The people of Nineveh were enemies of the Jewish people, but they repented at his preaching. Greater than Jonah is the One who rose from the dead. He is the only One worthy to have authority over our lives.
Swept Clean, but in Trouble
Once again, Jesus addressed the evil generation that turned from the true worship of God to their own desires. This time, He used the parable of an unclean spirit.
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it returns, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation” (Matthew 12:43-45).
The very definition of a Pharisee is a “separated one.” They advocated a strict observance of the law, as illustrated by their 39 rules for observing the Sabbath. In one sense, they tried to expel evil spirits and have a clean house.
They betrayed the true state of their hearts through their incessant attempt to catch Jesus in some word or deed where they could accuse Him. By opposing Jesus, they fought against God’s purposes. These religious authorities only cleaned their house to make way for more evil spirits to take up residence.
Their disputes with Jesus escalated until they were ready to crucify Him. They were willing to violate their own law to obtain a conviction. The state of “this evil generation” was revealed by their actions in His crucifixion.
Ends and Means
Some people subscribe to the belief that the ends justify the means. They employ evil means, but justify them by the ends they seek. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day may have embraced this way of thinking, and there are multiple examples of this attitude in today’s environment.
The “ends justify the means” mentality allows evil spirits to win because we become like the means we use.
I recently heard a prominent U.S. senator say this about some of the abuses that are taking place with our nation’s immigration policy. He excused some of the excesses by saying, “When you make an omelet, you have to crack some eggs.”
I’m not sure if he is aware that this saying was used by the Communist Party in Russia when they engaged in oppressive acts against their own citizens. Truly, the “ends justify the means” approach gives evil spirits free rein.
The means Jesus used was self-giving love. He didn’t defend Himself in this encounter or before His accusers in Jerusalem.
The best choice we can make is to surrender our self-will to Jesus’ rule and learn how to live in self-giving love, like Him.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 