Gospel: 12:38-42
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SOME of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 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. 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. 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. 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.”
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The scribes and Pharisees are asking Jesus for a sign to prove his claim as God’s messenger. It is as if they are saying, “Prove your assertions; produce your credentials by doing something extraordinary.” Jesus responds by calling them an evil and unfaithful (adulterous) generation. Furthermore, Jesus says that no sign will be given except “the sign of Jonah the prophet.”
Jesus recalls that the people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah and that the queen of the south believed in the wisdom of Solomon. Then, Jesus says that “something greater” than Jonah and the wisdom of Solomon has arrived. In short, Jesus is saying, “You are asking for a sign; I am God’s sign.” Jesus is also asserting that they have less faith than the Ninevites and the queen of the south.
What is our reaction when we are confronted with the very presence of God in Jesus Christ? Do we accept Jesus’ person and his teaching readily, striving to integrate them into our lives? Jesus asks us that perennial question, “Who do you say that I am?
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SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord 2020,” ST. PAULS Philippines, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
