We Want Signs



Luke 11:29-32
29When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. 31The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32The 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.

As Jesus journeys from Galilee to Jerusalem, He is met by various responses to His message along the way. After seeing a man freed from a demon the people in the crowd have the temerity to ask for yet another “sign” that He is worth following. This question arises not from belief but from skepticism. Now, I’m personally a fan of skepticism, having been raised on the cliché from Benjamin Franklin that says “believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see.” But when you witness the miracles of Jesus Christ asking for yet another sign is a bit much. Clearly, these questioners are not interested in following Jesus. They just want to see a show and they want to judge instead of being judged by those who repented and believed God’s miracles.

Jesus gives faith credit even to the Queen of Sheba who came and questioned King Solomon at length and left his tutelage a believer. He then points to the Gentile people of Nineveh who also repented before the Lord in faith based on the prophecy of Jonah. Jesus also says that the only sign they will see is His resurrection from death, using Jonah's trip through the sea in the belly of a great fish as an analogy to the time that He will spend in the grave. Of course, they probably had no idea what He was talking about, but still, it would be a sign to anyone who remembered this conversation upon hearing the rumors of His resurrection in just a few short months. Jesus’ words couldn’t be any plainer here. Are we looking for a sideshow or are we willing to follow the Savior?

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