Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41 At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. 42 At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.
43 When an unclean spirit goes out of a person it roams through arid regions searching for rest but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it empty, swept clean, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings back with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they move in and dwell there; and the last condition of that person is worse than the first. Thus it will be with this evil generation.
Some Scribes and Pharisees had previously accused Jesus of driving out demons by the power of the prince of demons. Jesus rebuffed them and told them, “Whoever speaks against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come (Mt. 12:22-32). Other Scribes and Pharisees demanded a sign even greater than the miracles he had worked to convince them of his Messianic mission. Jesus accused them of being, “An evil and unfaithful generation (v. 39),” and told them that the sign will be given but the house of Israel will reject it. He told them of his coming death, burial, and resurrection by using the story of the prophet Jonah (Jonah. 2:1) but they did not understand that he was the sign. As the great fish swallowed Jonah and he remained in its belly for three days, the earth swallowed the Son of Man and he remained in its belly for three days. The fish ‘vomited’ Jonah onto land after three days (Jonah 2:11) and Jesus was ‘vomited’ from the earth after 3 days. The Pharisees refused to recognize the true wisdom offered them.
Israelites who fail to seek the truth or convert will be condemned by the Ninevites. No disciple of Jesus should look for spectacular signs (v. 39). What happened to Jonah is similar to the coming death and resurrection of Jesus which was a sign that the Jewish leaders missed (v. 40). The preaching of Jesus is important and should lead to repentance (v. 41). the Gentiles are sometimes more receptive to God’s messengers than the Jews (vv. 41-42). Followers of Christ should seek divine wisdom. Women can be more committed to seeking wisdom (v.42). Jesus is greater than the prophets and wise men like Solomon (v. 42).
Jesus warned the Scribes and Pharisees that they should not have a false sense of security. The Israelites were the chosen people and enjoyed a privileged status but they should not neglect their spiritual obligations. An unclean spirit might have been cast out or left the human home of his own volition, but upon finding no place suitable for it to inhabit it returned to its own home and invited other evil spirits to join it. If they rejected Jesus, the House of Israel would open itself more to the influence of Satan. It would then be in worse shape than before God revealed Himself to Abraham. Jesus gave this warning to the current evil and unfaithful generation seeking a sign (Mt. 12:39).
Almighty God, help us to seek you with our whole hearts and not look for signs that cannot lead us to salvation. Fill our hearts with your divine wisdom so that we may understand what you have prepared for all who love you. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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