Luke 11:29-32

Luke 11:29-32 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.

Jonah 3:5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

The Ninevites believed God. In our day, we are trying to prove there is no God. The Ninevites turned to sackcloth and repentance. We turn to shopping and pretending everything is normal. We have built our houses on top of materialism, and we count it as good. We place material goods around us; the Ninevites placed dust on their heads. When the Ninevites repented wholeheartedly, they found God's generous forgiveness and love.

In today's passage, Jesus says there is someone greater than Jonah among you, someone who will also experience three days in the belly of the beast, but you will not repent. There is someone wiser than Solomon in your midst, but you will not repent and come under God's authority. The Ninevites repented at the preaching of Jonah. Jesus wanted the children of Israel to repent, not because of a sign, but because of his words. We really do not know if the Ninevites knew of Jonah's experience in the great fish, but whether they knew or not, they repented because of his preaching. The people of Israel did not repent at Jesus' words.

People still look for a sign that God is real and that Christ's words should be heeded. People claim if they see God doing some great deed, then they will believe wholeheartedly and commit to God one hundred percent. Then they will go to church or seek a fellowship of believers. Then they will hear God's voice and turn to him. But Jesus says there will be no sign given to mankind other than the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Jesus realizes a wicked generation seeks for a sign because they have forgotten their Creator, the one who made them in his own image. Jesus knows his words alone would save them: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus' three days and nights in the heart of the earth had not come yet, but Jesus knew that his words would save the people if they would hear, if they would turn from their wicked ways, but they looked for a sign, ignoring his call.

In today's world, many are in that position of apathy and unbelief. They are unwilling to hear and refuse to repent. They tell God to accept them as they are, full of self and worldly attachments. They even ask God to accept their debauchery and lewd lives, but He asks people to repent of their lives and to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. He asks people to put aside their goods, their material anchors, and to receive the One who is good, for IN HIM is life and light. By his SPIRIT, we are made whole, with a purpose for living. As the NInevites turned to God, we should turn wholeheartedly to him daily and receive his joy and peace.