Jesus & The Reality of Jonah April 15 th, 2012

Jesus & The Jewish Religious Leaders The Demand: Give us a sign that proves you are the Messiah. The Expectation: Jesus cannot give us a sign – this will prove that he is Not the Messiah.

The Response of Jesus – 3 Answers 1)You are wicked & adulterous people for trying to discredit me as the Messiah. 2)No sign will be given to discredit me as Messiah. 3)The sign of Jonah has been given & just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.

Jesus Makes 2 Points 1 st Point: Jonah’s deliverance from the belly of the fish and Nineveh’s salvation was ‘the sign’ that Jonah was sent from God. 2nd Point: The Son of Man’s deliverance from death through resurrection and the salvation of His people will be ‘the sign’ that He is sent from God and indeed is God.

The Key That Unlocks KEY: The sign only becomes a sign – through FAITH

Jesus Then Makes 2 Contrasts 1st Contrast: Jesus contrasts the response of Nineveh to Jonah’s message – with - the response of the Jewish leaders to Jesus’ message. 2nd Contrast: Jesus contrasts the response of the Queen of Sheba to the wisdom of Solomon – with - the response of the Jewish leaders to Jesus’ message.

Why is Jesus Making These Contrasts? Because Jesus is so much greater than Jonah – yet the message of Jesus was rejected while Jonah’s was accepted.

Jesus Proves The Story of Jonah in 4 Ways 1)Jesus verifies that the story of Jonah is absolutely true by referring to the story as a ‘sign’.

Jesus Proves The Story of Jonah in 4 Ways 2)The Jewish leaders acceptance of the Jonah story tells us that the religious leaders of that time also believed the account of Jonah to be true.

3)Jesus connects belief in the story of Jonah with belief in him as the Messiah.

4)Jesus makes belief in the story of Jonah essential to basic Christian doctrine by making Jonah’s time in the belly of the fish symbolic of Christ’s death and resurrection.

To Deny the story of Jonah as True… 1)Is to accept that Jesus himself believed a lie. 2)Is to call into question whether or not Jesus was indeed the Messiah. 3)Is to call into question the historical truth of the death and resurrection of Jesus.