38 A few of the scribes and Pharisees said, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

39 But Jesus answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, someone greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, someone greater than Solomon is here.”

Matthew 12:38-42 - World English Bible

In Matthew 12, Jesus wove two themes into the image of Jonah. Jonah lived in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights; his experience foreshadowed the death and resurrection of the Christ. Jonah went on to preach repentance in Nineveh and the pagans heeded his call; the Messiah and his disciples reflected that fact in their own calls for metanoia. Notice in the image of Jonah both resurrection and preaching conversion were present, so Jesus could use the prophet as a point of departure. Someone greater than Jonah stood before the contemporaries of Jesus, but those men rejected the Lord; in turn, the people who heard the message of Jonah would condemn that generation. Jesus did not stop at that point. He also stated his preaching was the wisdom of God, greater than that of Solomon. Those who rejected his preaching would be condemned by the queen of the south who sought the wisdom of David's son.

In the end, those who condemned “this generation” were not God's own people but Gentiles. Jesus implied the people of Nineveh and the queen of the south would hear the message and accept it with joy. Righteous before God, they would have the right to condemn those who assumed a place in the Kingdom simply because of birthright.

How have you heard the word of God this day?