Out of all the miracles that Jesus did, none were as great as the final sign He came to give. That sign is His resurrection from the dead. Here He calls it the sign of Jonah. This teaches us at least three things: one, that He really died; two, that His body remained in the grave; and three, that He rose from the dead. But there's more; here Jesus teaches us He came to die and came to rise again to conquer death. Jonah was sent to Ninevah with a message of repentance and Ninevah repented. Jesus is decrying the hardness of Israel's heart. While Jonah's sign was something of the miraculous, it pales in significance compared to the Son of God. Jesus said something greater than Jonah is here. Jonah was preserved in a fish, but Jesus rose from the dead to proclaim repentance to the world. With that call to repentance, there is a wonderful offer of forgiveness for all who will believe in Christ. However, the only sign given to that generation Jesus identifies as His resurrection. And that is the great sign for today. The great sign that verifies the gospel is the resurrection. |
