Seeking Proof and Doing God’s Will

Matthew 12:38-50

The Scribes and Pharisees Ask for a Sign

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."

39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 

40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

An Unclean Spirit Returns

43 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. 44 Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation."

Jesus' Mother and Brothers Send for Him

46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."

48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?" 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

The religious leaders, the scribes who interpreted the Law in the scriptures and the Pharisees, these did not like Jesus talking about the fruit of their lives because they lived by outward appearances and self-righteousness.  They demanded that Jesus work some miraculous sign to prove Himself to them.  The Lord rightly told them they were an adulterous generation, a people worshiping other gods besides Him as they put their added rituals above the scriptures and pleased themselves instead of the Lord.  He therefore told them they would be given only the sign of Jonah who was swallowed up by a huge fish for three days until he repented (Jonah 2:2, 7-8, 9) and worshiped God alone as he confessed, “Salvation is of the LORD.”  not only did Jonah repent and stop running from preaching repentance to sinful Nineveh, the sinners there surprisingly did turn from their sin to Him for a generation at least.  This was a message to the religious leaders and the whole of Israel who heard the words of Jesus.  The sign of Jonah translated into the coming sign of the Christ’s death and resurrection after the same three days.  The sinners of Nineveh would judge these at the final day of judgment for their rejection and disobedience of disbelief with hardened hearts refusing to trust His word through repentance and faith in Him.  He also pointed out how the Queen of Sheba came to Solomon (1 Kings 10:7-9) to hear such wisdom from God as from no other man since, yet how that wisdom did not begin to compare with that of Jesus who is the divine anointed Son of Man (Daniel 7:13) who now stood before them.  He then compared a man who has an unclean demon cast out from him (as Jesus had been doing among them) and how if there was no real change in the person how many more spirits would then move in the cleaned out life.  This signified that the religious people would not find peace and security in God except that they were radically changed by God and not simply turn over a new leaf in their own efforts.  That was the prevailing direction of that generation who rejected the Christ and a regenerated life brought only by Him through repentance according to faith in Him and His words and work for them to transform each of them.  The passage ends with Jesus being interrupted by someone telling Him that the mother and brothers of Jesus were outside wanting to talk to Him.  He then made it clear that it was not the relationship of family that mattered most, but of those who followed God the Father according to His word who were the true family of the Almighty in heaven above.  Those who are His hear His word and demand no sign or wonder to prove Himself as they listen and respond in trust and obedience to all He said and are transformed by faith in regenerated new lives.  Instead of seeking proof through signs and wonders, we are to seek to believe Him by faith through repentance to life (Acts 11:18) and not by our ineffective efforts of attempting to do enough good to earn salvation from judgment.  This demonstrates the difference between seeking proof and doing God’s will by faith for deliverance from judgment.