Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, Teacher, we want to see a sign from You. But He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. (Matt. 12:38-40)
Of all those who opposed the Lord Jesus during His life on earth, none opposed Him more than the religious establishment, the scribes and Pharisees of Judaism. Matt. 12:1-14 show that while they cared only for religious ordinances and practices, He cared only for His members, firstly by leading His disciples to pick grain to eat on the Sabbath, and then by healing a man with a withered hand, again on the Sabbath, a day on which, according to Jewish ritual, no work was to be done. Jesus did not care for such rituals - if He saw one of His children in need, He went to them to help them.
The climax of their rejection of the very One who had come to save them was their asking for a sign. A sign is a miracle with some spiritual significance. 1 Cor. 1:22 confirms this word that the Jews continually seek for signs. Today, many unbelievers challenge God, saying, "If God is real, why does He not give us a sign, to prove He exists? Then we would believe." They are no different to the stubborn unrepenting unbelieving Jewish religionists who opposed the Lord Jesus in that day.
The Lord's answer was to reveal to the whole universe something further concerning Himself. Jonah was sent by God to preach the gospel of repentance to Nineveh; Jonah feared God, and tried to escape by sea; he was cast into the water, and swallowed by a great fish, which, after three days and nights, spewed him up onto the land near Nineveh, after which Jonah went to the Gentile city and preached the gospel to them, and the Ninevites repented, and were spared God's judgement. Here the Lord, as the greater Jonah, clearly was prophesying concerning His coming death and resurrection, when He would be interred in the earth for three days, before coming forth in resurrection to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles. (Remember, in my previous posting, I covered the matter of the signs of dispensational significance, showing how the Lord would turn from Israel to the Gentiles, before finally returning to Israel at the close of the age).
The Lord then gave them a second sign, the sign of Solomon. King Solomon's two main achievements were to build the temple of God in Jerusalem, and to speak the words of wisdom. As the greater Solomon, Christ is the One who is building the real temple, the church, and speaking the real word of wisdom, the gospel of grace. To Him, the Gentile seekers (signified by the Queen of Sheba) come "from the ends of the earth"
These two signs are interesting because they are seemingly out of sequence; according to history, Solomon preceded Jonah, yet here the Lord deliberately mentions Jonah first. This is because these signs have spiritual significance, which is serious and very meaningful. Jonah is mentioned first because he signifies Christ in His death and burial, while Solomon typifies Christ in His resurrection. Christ must die first before He can be resurrected; then He builds the church and speaks the word of wisdom.
If the Pharisees had taken in the Lord's word, they would have recognised the first sign when He was crucified, buried and resurrected, and they would have repented and believed. Even in His answer to their provoking question, Jesus was merciful, giving them the opportunity to yet receive Him, by giving them such signs. His death and resurrection are the unique sign given to that generation, and they remain the unique sign to this day. The Pharisees, that "evil and adulterous generation" did not care, and they rejected the King-Saviour. From this point on, having been rejected by Israel, the Lord forsook the Jews, and instead turned to the Gentiles.
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