Matthew 16:4
“A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed”.
The phrase “sign of Jonah” was used by Jesus as a typological metaphor for His future crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Jesus answered with this expression when asked by the Pharisees for miraculous proof that He was indeed the Messiah. The Pharisees remained unconvinced of Jesus’ claims about Himself, despite His having just cured a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute. Shortly after the Pharisees accused Jesus of driving out demons by the power of Satan, they said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
He answered, “Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” Matthew 12:38–41
To fully appreciate the answer that Jesus gave, we must go to the Old Testament book of Jonah. In its first chapter, we read that God commanded the prophet Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and warn its people that He was going to destroy it for its wickedness. Jonah disobediently ran from the Lord and headed for the city of Tarshish by boat. The Lord then sent a severe storm that caused the crew of the ship to fear for their lives. Jonah was soon thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish where he remained for “three days and three nights” Jonah 1:15–17. After the three-day period, the Lord caused the great fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land Jonah 2:10.
It is this three days that Jesus was referring to when He spoke of the sign of Jonah. Jesus had already been producing miracles that were witnessed by many. Jesus had just performed a great sign in the Pharisees’ presence by healing a deaf man who was possessed of a demon. Rather than believe, they accused Jesus of doing this by the power of Satan. Jesus recognized their hardness of heart and refused to give them further proof of His identity. However, He did say that there would be one further sign forthcoming, His resurrection from the dead. This would be their final opportunity to be convinced.
Jesus’ paralleling of the Pharisees with the people of Nineveh is telling. The people of Nineveh repented of their evil ways (Jonah 3:4–10) after hearing Jonah’s call for repentance, while the Pharisees continued in their unbelief despite being eyewitnesses to the miracles of Jesus. Jesus was telling the Pharisees that they were culpable for their unbelief, given the conversion of the people of Nineveh, sinners who had received far less evidence than the Pharisees themselves had witnessed.
There is an important note to make about Jesus’ death, which has been the source of tradition, is the advent of Good Friday, which suggest Jesus died on the cross on a Friday. The reality is that Jesus’ time of death was 3PM – Wednesday AD 31.
When Jesus died He was quickly buried because of the oncoming Feast of Unleavened Bread, a high day which began at sunset on Wednesday to sunset on Thursday – Luke 23:46-54. “And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on”
Many have assumed this was the weekly Sabbath and that Jesus was crucified on a Friday. There are two distinct high days or Sabbaths referred to in this week. The weekly Sabbath is sunset Friday to sunset Saturday verses the first day of Unleavened Bread, a high annual Sabbath – Sunset Wednesday to Sunset Thursday.
John 19:31 (for that sabbath day was an high day) – (Exodus 12:16-17; Leviticus 23:6-7) The annual Holy Days usually fall on weekdays, other than the regular weekly Sabbath days, sunset Friday – sunset Saturday.
Luke 23:54-56 the women saw Jesus’ body being laid in the tomb just before sunset Wednesday. They “returned and prepared spices and ointments”
Preparing spices would not have been done on a Sabbath day, Friday – Saturday, since it would have been considered a violation of the Sabbath.
This is verified by Mark’s account, which states, “Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices” (which they would not have purchased on the high-day Wednesday – Thursday (Mark 16:1).
The women had to wait until this annual “high day” was over before they could buy and prepare the spices to be used for anointing Jesus’ body. After purchasing and preparing the spices and oils on Friday, “they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment” Luke 23:56.
The second Sabbath mentioned in the Gospel accounts is the regular weekly Sabbath, observed from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday.
Two Sabbaths
Mark tells us the women bought spices after the Sabbath, Luke states they prepared the spices before resting on the Sabbath—two different Sabbaths.
John 19:31 – The first Sabbath was a “high day”— the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread—which, in A.D. 31, fell on a Wednesday. The second was the weekly seventh-day Sabbath – Sunset Friday – Sunset Saturday
Jesus died at the 9th hour of the day. Matthew 27:45-50 – 3PM
After the women rested on the regular weekly Sabbath Friday – Saturday, they went to Jesus’ tomb early on the first day of the week (Sunday), “while it was still dark” John 20:1, and found that He had already been resurrected (Matthew 28:1-6; Mark 16:2-6; Luke 24:1-3).
Jesus was crucified and entombed on Wednesday afternoon, just before the Sabbath began at sunset. The high-day Sabbath, lasting from sunset Wednesday to sunset Thursday, rather than the regular weekly Sabbath, lasting from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday.
Jesus rose anytime from 3PM Saturday – He was already gone early Sunday when Mary arrived. Matt 28:1-6, Jesus rose precisely three days and three nights after He was placed in the tomb, you can’t get 3 days and 3 nights from Friday to Sunday morning.
God would often use signs (or miracles) in the Bible to authenticate His chosen messenger. The Lord provided Moses with several miraculous signs in order to prove to others that he was appointed by God (Exodus 4:5–9; 7:8–10;19-20). God sent down fire on Elijah’s altar during Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:36–39). He performed this miracle to prove that the God of Israel was the one true God. Jesus Himself would perform many miracles (or “signs”) to demonstrate His power over nature (Matthew 4:23; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 8:22–24; John 6:16–24). The “sign of Jonah” would turn out to be Jesus’ greatest miracle of all. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead would be God’s chief sign that Jesus was Israel’s long-awaited Messiah (Acts 2:23–32) and establish Christ’s claims to deity (Romans 1:3–4).
Tony - W.A.M. 