April 10th – Matthew 12:41
Matthew 12:41
“Proof! Show us proof!” Those were the cries of some of the Scribes and Pharisees. After witnessing Jesus heal a blind and mute man and accusing Him of doing so through the power of Satan, they demanded the Lord show them a sign. Their hardened hearts couldn’t accept in faith that Jesus was indeed their long awaited Messiah. Knowing this Jesus answered, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah.” (Mat. 12:39) What is the sign of Jonah? Jesus goes on to say, “Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days in the heart of the earth.” (Mat. 12: 40-41)
Jonah was a man who after trying to flee from God in disobedience, was swallowed by a great fish. He spent three days and nights in the belly of the beast before being vomited alive unto dry land. This final sign, the sign of Jonah, was given by Jesus as a foreshadowing of His soon to be fate. In His greatest miracle of all, Jesus was crucified on the Cross, buried, and rose again on the third day. He forever conquered death and established His divine authority as the Son of God, the promised Messiah, and King of the Jews. And through His death and resurrection, His suffering and sacrifice, we have the gift of eternal life.
