Signs Luke 11:29-32
Today we see Jesus preaching in the marketplace. As he continues the crowd starts to grow. Soon there are a multitude of people and several Pharisees present. All these people are there to hear his words and his teaching, and yet, many are there looking for something more. The crowd hears of God, the promise of salvation, the glory of the kingdom, and the support of God in a life of hardship and trial. All this is wonderful news, uplifting and promising words, but they want more. The people want proof of what Jesus says. The Pharisees again are questioning Jesus’ authority. Again, accusing him of dismissing the law. Against the backdrop of these two groups, Jesus imparts crucial lessons about the importance of faith, and the consequences for a lack of it.
Verse 29, “…This is a wicked generation. It asks for signs, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”
Their generation is our generation. Many then were making their fortune on the backs of others. There were those in power keeping their position by unjust laws and fear mongering. Rome kept its authority through brutal laws and punishment. Religious leaders kept their authority through fear of punishment and loss of the Almighty for not following their rules and edicts.
Today? Look around our world. There are those in power over territories who keep their power through harsh laws, repression, and punishment. There are those in religious positions of authority who preach not of love and grace but of abandonment by God if you don’t follow their rules, if you don’t do as they say.
The generation of Jesus has been replicated by each subsequent generation since. The people in Jesus’ time heard the Word of God yet wanted to see something touchable. Every generation since, including our own, has done the same. “You talk of Jesus and love, there’s still too much bad in the world. I prayed but I stopped, things didn’t get better. You talk of God, but I don’t see the proof.” Is this condemnation? No, it’s an observation.
All humans want to see, taste, touch something tangible. We want to grasp something. We want to do something. Faith resides in the absence of these. Does this mean God wants blind faith?
Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Blind faith is believing in something with no basis in fact or observation. This is not what God wants. He wants our faith to be based on those signs he’s given to the world. Jesus is about to explain this. And as he explains, he also tells us that as we see God’s signs, don’t keep asking for more.
Verse 30, “So as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.”
Jonah, another Old Testament account that points to New Testament truth. Jonah, called by God to preach his message of grace to the unrepentant city of Ninevah. Jonah, swallowed by a giant fish, for all-natural reason, dead and beyond help; reborn on land three days later through the power of God. His words and the sin of his rebirth turned many in Ninevah to God. They repented and were saved by the sign of Jonah and their faith in God.
Jonah was a sign to the ancient world, an actual and physical account that one can base their faith in God upon. “So also, will the Son of Man be to this generation.” God exists. He wants to give us his grace and mercy. He loves us beyond our ability to measure. How can we believe and have faith in this? By the sign given through Christ Jesus. The life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus, this is the sign.
Verse 31, “The Queen of the south will rise at the judgement with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and something greater than Solomon is here.”
The queen referred to here is the Queen of Sheba. She came to seek Solomon because she heard of his wisdom and knowledge. She tells Solomon in 1 Kings 10:7, “Your wisdom and prosperity far surpass what I have heard.” Then she gave Solomon gifts, and he reciprocated by giving her gifts. A sign, a shadow of things to come. Seek Jesus out, listen to his words, and you’ll find wisdom beyond what we expect. Give him the gift of your faith, and he will give you the gifts of grace and salvation.
Verse 31 also tells us how the dead will rise, Sheba with them. On that day she will voice the reason for the condemnation of many, over many generations. The condemnation of Jew and Gentile alike saying, “I listened to Solomon and believed the truth, you had the truth in Christ, and you did not listen.”
Verse 32, “The men of Ninevah will stand up at the judgement with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.”
These pagans of Ninevah, hearing the words of Jonah and repenting, will also rise on the last day and also voice the reason for the condemnation of generations; “We heard the words of God’s prophet and repented, you heard the words of God’s Messiah and did not.”
In this morning’s reading Jesus tells us what to look for to substantiate faith, and what not to look for. I ask the world, why do we look for great demonstrations of power? Why do we seek grand miracles in our lives before we offer our faith?
Today Jesus reminds us faith is not dependent what we can see and touch, that God has already given us all the signs we need to base our faith on. Signs he’s given to the whole world, and to each generation.
We are in the season of Lent, preparing to honor the death and resurrection of Jesus. Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection into the world of men three days later, this is the sign. This is the sign God loves the world. This is the sign God gives to the world to secure our faith in his grace and mercy. This is the sign we can. and should base our faith in God on. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are the ultimate sign of God’s love and power. This one sign is all we need to see the glory of eternity in the kingdom of God.
To the world, for those who have not accepted Christ, look to the sign this Easter brings. See the love of God, and the path he gives to himself through Christ. See all God did to reach out to you and allow yourself to start the walk to him. Allow yourself the beginning of faith.
To those who have accepted Christ, do not look beyond the sign of Easter to strengthen your faith. We should not demand God to continue to give signs of his fidelity. He has already given us the greatest sign he can give, his Son, the cross, and the rolled away stone on Easter morning. Focus on this. Pray on this. Strengthen your faith on this.
During this season of Lent, I pray we all take in the lessons Christ gives us in this passage. For those still lost, may you develop a faith in God. For those who accept Christ, may we deepen our faith in God. May we all bolster our relationship with God.
To each of you I pray:
May the blessings,
Love,
And grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
And his Father in heaven
Be upon you;
May your faith strengthen during this season of Lent and Easter.
Peace be with you,
Amen.