Matthew 12:38-50

About the Text

(38) Why was itso wrong for the Pharisees to ask for a miraculous sign from Jesus? Jesus, of course, is not opposed to miraculous signs. He performed countless numbers of miracles in His time. The problem was that the Pharisees (a sect of Jews) would not believe in Jesus, and were demanding that He prove Himself.
It is not wrong to pray for miracles if you are asking for God's help. It is wicked, however, to say, "Jesus, I'll believe in you if you will make this car float in the air." Jesus has afready given us all the proof we need to believe in Him. Those who don't believe, will not believe even if God were to make the sun stand still. Remember Pharaoh, who kept resisting God even after witnessing many miraculous plagues.

(39) Who is "Jonah"? See the hook of Jonah. Jonah was a prophet, whom God called to tell the wicked Ninevites to repenL He resisted that calling at first, and God sent a great sea storm and a giant fish to swallow him. After three days inside the fish, Jonah obeyed God and preached to the Ninevites.
Because Jesus is greater than Jonah, there is no excuse for refusing to repent.

(42) Who is the "Queen of the South"? Ths is another name for the Queen of Sheba. See 1 Kings 10. Solomon, king of Israel, was so rich and full of wisdom, that many kings and queens of the world came to see him. When the Queen of Sheba visited, she praised God. Because Jesus is greater than Solomon, there is again no excuse for refusing to repent.

Note: Jonah and Solomon are called types of Christ. That is, they are Old Testament characters whose lives reveal to us some feature about Jesus CIrrist. Other types include Adam, Isaac, Moses, and David. Whenever the New Testament compares Jesus to an Old Testament character, that character is called a type of Cbrist. Bible scholars call this "typology."

(44) What kind of "house" is Jesus speaking of? Jesus is using the demon-
possession of a human being (cf. Matt. 12:22) as an analogy of unbelievers become more evil as time goes on. Demons are known to retum to a man in greater numbers if that man does not have Jesus Christ. So it is with a man's evil character.

(50) Why did Jesus call his disciples "mother and brothers"? Those who do the "will of the Father," that is, believe in Jesus Christ (see John 6:29), become adopted as children of God. John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."

Insights

• Jesus has given all the proof people need to believe. This divides the world in two. (38-
  42)
• The part of the world that doesn't believe is becoming more evil. (43-45)
• The part of the world that believes is becoming beautiful. (46-50)

The Bottom Line

Which side do you stand on? If you put your trust in Jesus Christ alone, you are on the right side. It's the only way. Morals have nothing to do with it. You may be a moral, law-abiding, respected church member, but still trust in yourself rather than trust in Christ. And you will get worse.
You who trust in Christ, however, readily accept all that Christ has done and claimed to be. You are sure of your own salvation because you are sure that Christ's death on the cross took your sins away, and that Christ rose from the dead in great power and glory. You become a child of God, and He is continually transforming you become more loving, joyful, peaceful, and kind like Christ. Pray that Christ will move more people to be on this side.