“38 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 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.”
46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.” 48 But he said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother”
Matthew 12:38-50.
The scribes and Pharisees address Jesus as Teacher. Although in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus uses this term when referring to Himself (10:24–25; 23:8; 26:18). His own disciples never address Him this way. Outsiders however — and especially Jesus’ opponents — do (8:19; 9:11; 17:24; 22:16, 36). This suggests that the scribes and Pharisees are not approaching Jesus with a sincere desire to learn but as his adversaries.
They seek a sign like those given in the Old Testament to validate a leader or prophet’s ministry or message (see Exod. 4:30–31; Judg. 6:36–40; 1 Kings 18:36–39; Isa. 7:10–14; 38:7–8). However, Jesus has already performed plenty of signs quite unlike anything ever seen in Israel (9:33; 12:33). Despite this, the scribes and Pharisees are plotting to kill Him (12:14) and have explained away His power over demons as coming from the devil (12:24). Another miracle would likely be blamed on the devil too.
When Jesus highlights the hard-heartedness of these religious leaders, He says that they are part of an evil and unfaithful generation. They are unfaithful to God’s covenant, like Israel of old who was portrayed as an adulterous wife. The language Matthew uses also recalls the Israelites in the desert who were disinherited from the promised land because they were an “evil generation” (Deut. 1:35), and “a perverse and crooked generation” (Deut. 32:5). Like the generation in the desert who saw many signs and refused to believe (Deut. 29:1–3), the scribes and Pharisees will be disinherited from the kingdom if they persist in their rejection of Christ.
The only sign now for the scribes and Pharisees is a cryptic one: the sign of Jonah the prophet. Jesus subtly foreshadows His death and resurrection with an analogy from Jonah’s life. Jonah narrowly escaped death after being in the belly of the whale for three days and nights. Similarly, Jesus will experience death but will rise triumphantly after being in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. Jesus’ resurrection will be the ultimate sign that will demonstrate His divine authority.
Jesus goes on to say that this evil generation will be condemned by Gentiles from the Old Testament: the men of Nineveh (who repented at the preaching of Jonah) and the queen of the south (the queen of Sheba, who traveled from afar to hear the wisdom of Solomon). These pagans exhibited more faith than the scribes and Pharisees! If these Gentiles responded to Jonah and Solomon, how much more should the scribes and Pharisees respond positively to Jesus, for there is something greater than Jonah and something greater than Solomon here. Yet, this evil generation refuses to accept Jesus. His story of the unclean spirit’s return indicates that his ministry has been breaking the devil’s grip on Israel. But if the people reject the One who is greater than Jonah and Solomon, they will end up in a condition…worse than the first.
In contrast with the Pharisees, those who obey Jesus’ words have a relationship with him that is deeper than natural family bonds. Jesus says that whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother. The language of “whoever does the will of my heavenly Father” practically repeats what Jesus said in 7:21 about true disciples. Jesus’ new family consists of His disciples.
This passage in no way undermines the importance of Jesus’ mother, for she fits the criteria for what it means to be a faithful disciple. She is the first to obey the will of the Father and to believe his word (Luke 1:38, 45). Thus she is not only the natural mother of Jesus but also the preeminent member of his family of disciples.
An as far as Matthew’s reference to Jesus’ brothers, Matthew has the extended family in mind, a fact that becomes clear when we consider how two of the names of Christ’s “brothers” listed in 13:55 (James and Joseph) seem to be identified as sons of a different Mary in 27:56 (see Mark 15:40; John 19:25). This interpretation is also consistent with John’s Passion Narrative, where Jesus, just before He dies, entrusts Mary to the care of His beloved disciple John — not something Jesus would likely do if He had natural brothers and sisters to look after her (John 19:25–27). It is worth noting that most of the earliest theologians in the Christian Church who comment on this topic understood the brothers and sisters mentioned in the New Testament as relations who were not siblings born of the same mother.
So today spend time in prayer considering the fact that you are part of the family of God, and all God wants is that you and I “do the will of my heavenly Father.”
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” John 6:40.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” Matthew 7:21.
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me” John 5:30.
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