greater than jonah here

Jonah 3:1-10; Psalm 51 A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn; Luke 11:29-32

The gospel, "This generation is a evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation."

Jesus looks out into the world, looks upon the people gathered and opens his mouth and speaks words of chastisement, "This generation is a evil generation."

An evil generation.

What a proclamation! What a description! WHat harsh words from the Lord of Love!

Can love and harshness go together?

We are told not what makes "this" generation evil, but we are told it seeks a sign. Perhaps, the generation is looking for a reason to believe, or an excuse to keep on not believing. Perhaps, the generation is trying to build an alibi against belief and alibi for justifying their way of life, steady as it goes.

Sounds a lot like our generation. Many are looking for a reason to believe. Many are looking for an excuse not to believe. Many create alibi's for not believing such as blaming the priest of the church, or blaming their parents for making them go to church, blaming their teachers for not explaining it, and the list goes on.

Their are a thousands reason not to believe. There are a thousands ways to build a legitimate alibi for our unbelief. Their are many people who fail to live their faith that give us a cause to stray.

But there remains one sign that disturbs us, shatters our false walls of unbelief, cracks the shady alibi's we have stowed away in our hearts; this is the sign of jonah.

What is this sign?

Why was jonah effective in preaching repentance to the Ninevites as he walked to and fro through city, a 3 days journey, yet after just one day repentance began to spread like wild fire, reaching the ears of hearts of people long before Jonah could ever arrive on the scene.

Why?
IT wasn't because of his words, rather it was because of his reputation. News had spread the one who was thrown overboard in the middle of the sea was now walking in their streets. The one who was presumed dead was now alive and he bore marks of his journey into the tomb of the belly.

Here was the sign in the flesh staring the Ninevites in the face and they were struck to the heart. He bore the marks and they shown forth illuminating and piercing the hearts and minds of the citizens.

Is this not the sign of Christ himself. The one who enters into the tomb, the belly of death, and stands before all alive. The one who bears the marks of the journey on his hands and feet.

The one who was silent in death is now alive.

Of all the reasons to believe and disbelieve, is this not the one sign that shatters our alibis and our pretenses and our vague notions of justification against faith and religion and the like.

The evil generation is no match for this sign, if they but look and behold and be transformed by the reputation that proceeds this one who is greater than Jonah here.