Jesus Points to Jonah 11.24.2024

 

Jesus Points to Jonah 

Lesson Text: Matthew 12:22-32, 38-40 

Related Scriptures: I Kings 10:1-13; Matthew 16:1-4; Luke 11:14-23; I Corinthians 1:22-25 

TIME: A.D. 28 PLACE: Galilee 

GOLDEN TEXT—“He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad” (Matthew 12:30). 

Introduction 

In the Gospels, some of the most sustained human opposition to Jesus came from the Pharisees. These highly respected and influential Jewish scholars prided themselves on being more righteous than others. Jesus looked beyond their righteous appearance and saw them as frauds. 

Rather than respond with repentance and obedience to Jesus, most Pharisees actively opposed Him. When Jesus performed miracles, proving that He was the Messiah, the Pharisees refused to accept the evidence. Instead, they charged Him with working by demonic power. 

In response to this malicious, false charge, Jesus used logic to demonstrate the error of the Pharisees. When they demanded that Jesus perform a sign to prove Himself, He pointed them back to the prophet Jonah. 

LESSON OUTLINE 

RESPONDING WITH AMAZEMENT—Matt. 12:22-23 

REASONING AGAINST CRITICISM—Matt. 12:24-32 

REACTING TO SKEPTICISM—Matt. 12:38-40 

Exposition: Verse by Verse 

RESPONDING WITH AMAZEMENT 

MATT. 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 

23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 

Jesus’ miracle (Matt. 12:22). Several times in the Gospels, Jesus was confronted with people who were possessed by demons. Demon possession always caused severe problems. For example, one boy threw himself into the fire (Mark 9:22). Another man lived among the tombs and was totally untamable (5:2-3). Demonic power was a fact of life that brought untold pain and suffering in first-century Judea. 

Jesus’ healing of the demon-possessed man here is very similar to the incident recorded in Matthew 9:32-33. There, demon possession had caused an inability to speak. The man in Matthew 12:22, in addition to being unable to speak, was blind. The malicious power of Satan had severely limited his life. 

Although this man’s problem was far beyond the ability of physicians, Jesus was willing and able to help him. Jesus healed him, breaking the power of the demon and delivering the man from his inability to speak and see. Jesus’ divine power touched and liberated the man who had been shackled by the forces of evil. 

The people’s amazement (Matt. 12:23). {What Jesus had done was undeniably a miracle. It was obvious that the man had been in the clutches of the devil and his forces. This was much more than just a physical problem. In order to release him from his disabilities, Jesus had to break evil’s grip on him. Everyone knew that demon possession was a potent force that required more than mere human ability to cure.}Q1 

The people were amazed at what Jesus had done. This amazement was more than just excitement. It demanded an explanation, for the healing could not be accounted for by conventional means. Something out of the ordinary had happened, and it provoked questions about Jesus. 

{In the Old Testament, Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would perform miraculous healings (cf. Isa. 35:5-6). The healing Jesus had accomplished prompted the people to wonder whether He might be the Messiah. They were by no means certain, but the question was beginning to be asked. They began to wonder and ask one another, “Is not this the son of David?” (Matt. 12:23).}Q2 

As the people assessed the miracle, the only explanation they could conceive of was that Jesus might be the Messiah. Only the power of God could break the power of the devil. It all seemed too wonderful, but then again, how else could the healing of the demon-possessed man be explained? 

REASONING AGAINST CRITICISM 

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 

25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 

26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 

27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 

29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 

30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. 

31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 

32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. 

Charge by the Pharisees (Matt. 12:24). When the Pharisees heard how the people had responded, they were quick to give their evaluation. Even though they had the same evidence as the people, they came to a far different conclusion. The people recognized that Jesus had done something miraculous. For them, that opened up the possibility that He might be the Messiah, the Son of David. 

{The Pharisees flatly refused to consider that idea, but they could not deny that Jesus had exercised power over the demon. Rather than say Jesus was divine, they concluded that Jesus had worked by the power of Beelzebub, or Satan, the prince of the demons.}Q3 

In saying this, the Pharisees were (at a minimum) accusing Jesus of being a sorcerer. This was a serious charge, for sorcery was punishable by death under Jewish law (cf. Ex. 22:18; Deut. 18:10-11). Rather than recognize Jesus’ deity in His miracles, the Pharisees misinterpreted what He did to fit their own preconceptions. They had already decided that they would reject Jesus, and they did not let what He did convince them otherwise. Instead of acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah, they accused Him of working with Satan. 

Logic of Jesus (Matt. 12:25-26). Although the Pharisees did not directly speak to Jesus, He was aware of what they were thinking. As the Son of God, Jesus was able to perceive the thoughts of others. Even on the level of human insight, it was obvious that the Pharisees were seeking to subvert confidence in Him. Moreover, reports of the rumors that they were spreading among the people may well have reached Jesus. 

{The Pharisees’ charge was not only wrong but also totally illogical. Jesus pointed out that every cause must be unified, or it falls apart. A kingdom that is divided by civil war will eventually come to ruin. A house torn by division cannot stand. That is common sense.}Q4 

The same principle holds true in the realm of demons, where Satan rules. In the Pharisees’ argument, Jesus was using the power of Satan to cast out Satan’s demons. This would have meant that Satan was fighting against himself, dividing his kingdom. He would be bringing about his own downfall! In making their charge against Jesus, the Pharisees had taken a ridiculous position. Their refusal to believe Jesus forced them into a position that they could not logically defend. 

Reasonable conclusion (Matt. 12:27-28). Jesus continued to counter the Pharisees’ criticism with devastating logic. In the first century, there were numerous Jewish exorcists. Acts 19:13 mentions some of these. They were widely accepted by the Jews as righteous people whom God had empowered to release those bound by demon possession. 

{Jesus pressed the Pharisees on this point. He urged them to identify the power by which other Jews, some of whom were taught by the Pharisees, were able to exorcise demons. If they were indeed casting demons out by the power of God, the Pharisees could not logically charge that Jesus had to be working with Satan.}Q5 Jesus then directly challenged the Pharisees to consider the implications of what He had done. {If He was indeed casting out demons by the Spirit of God, the kingdom of God had come upon them. Jesus, then, should not be resisted but accepted as coming from God. In rejecting Jesus, the Pharisees were opposing the rule of God.}Q6 

Challenge to the Pharisees (Matt. 12:29-30). Jesus reinforced His argument by asking a rhetorical question. If a robber were attempting to steal the goods of a strong man, would he not first have to bind the man? Only then would he be able to steal the strong man’s possessions. 

In delivering the blind and unspeaking man from the demon that oppressed him, Jesus was figuratively plundering Satan’s house. Before He could do that, He had to be powerful enough to bind Satan. Binding Satan could be accomplished only by the power of God (cf. Rev. 20:1-3). The miracle Jesus had done proved that He was working by divine power. 

{Jesus’ miracles demanded that people make a decision about Him. There was no place for neutrality. Those who saw what He did and accepted Him as the Messiah were for Him. Those who observed Jesus’ miracles but refused to acknowledge that He was indeed the Son of God were against Him. How people responded to Jesus placed them either on God’s side or against His cause.}Q7 It was impossible to truly be for God but against Jesus, as the Pharisees claimed to be.

REACTING TO SKEPTICISM 

38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 

39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 

40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 

Request for a sign (Matt. 12:38). Jesus’ stern words had put the Pharisees on the defensive. In response to their accusation that He was working by the power of Satan, He had charged them with blasphemy against the Spirit. They refused to acknowledge that what He had done was produced by divine power. 

{Rather than admit their error, the Pharisees confronted Jesus in a different way. They asked Him to show them a miraculous sign. The implication behind this request was that the evidence Jesus had given so far was ambiguous and unconvincing. In effect, they were saying that it was Jesus’ fault they did not believe; He had not demonstrated clearly enough who He was.}Q9 They thought they should not be faulted for opposing Him because what they had seen up to that point did not prove He was the Messiah to their satisfaction. 

After all the miracles that Jesus had done, it is hard to imagine what the Pharisees would have found convincing. His numerous healings had not budged them from their hostile opposition. In fact, even when Jesus later rose from the dead, the Jewish leaders refused to accept the undeniable evidence (Matt. 28:11-15). Although they said that a sign was all they needed to believe Jesus, in reality, their hearts were hardened. 

Refusal of a sign (Matt. 12:39-40). Jesus knew that the scribes and Pharisees’ request for a sign was insincere. He was not interested in giving an impressive show of miracles for an audience that refused to take Him seriously. If they were truly committed to God and righteousness, they would have accepted Him already. 

The leaders’ refusal to believe in Jesus revealed that they were evil and had no commitment to God. Using language often applied to sinful Israel by the Old Testament prophets, Jesus proclaimed the Pharisees guilty of spiritual adultery against the Lord. 

{They sought a sign, but Jesus said that there would be only one sign for them—the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for a three-day period, so Jesus would be in the heart of the earth for the same length of time.}Q10 

In this cryptic way, Jesus foretold His death and resurrection. For the early Christians, the resurrection was God’s undeniable sign that Jesus indeed was His Son (cf. Acts 2:30-32). For the Pharisees, however, even this sign was insufficient to move them from their obstinate unbelief. The evidence was clear, but it had to be accepted. 

The Pharisees were unwilling to do that. The Pharisees pretended to be curious about Jesus, but they refused to consider a commitment to Him. Jesus did not play games with them, for their hearts were evil. —Daniel J. Estes