Sign of Jonah
“While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
‘This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.’”Luke 11:29
When the people asked for signs that point to Jesus’ identity, Jesus said “No sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah” (Lk. 11:29). Although He had no need to, Jesus had already given them many signs of His divinity — healings, miracles, etc. — yet, the people still needed more. Have we ever found ourselves in a similar boat?
Have we ever asked God for a sign and after receiving some form of a sign, asked the same question and made the same request? God, if you really want me to….then please….. Jesus said no sign will be given except for the sign of Jonah. Jonah was the prophet who at first reluctantly preached repentance to the Ninevites, who surprisingly once they heard that their land will be destroyed if they did not repent, repented immediately. God saw this and He spared them. In Matthew’s account the “sign of Jonah” was about the one who was in the belly of the great fish for three days and nights. In the same way, Jesus will also be in the belly of the earth for three days, and will rise triumphantly on the third day. However, in Luke’s account, the sign is more associated with the act of Jesus’ preaching, that is, the Word who was made flesh for us. Whether one takes Matthew’s account or Luke’s, the two are really inseparable — the Word did become flesh and Jesus did suffer, die, was buried, and rose from the dead. That is the sign — the sign of the greatest love and the gift of salvation and eternal life. Is that sign not enough? Sadly, for some it is not.
As we journey through this First Week of Lent, how are we finding our Lenten practices? Are we praying? Have we denied ourselves something? Have we been kind to the stranger? Let those be our signs — prayer, fasting, and almsgiving — signs of our repentance, yes, but more than that, signs of our love for God and neighbor. Jesus did not die on the Cross because He merely wanted to take on our sins, He died because He loved the Father and He loved us. Truly, as Jesus said, “something greater than Jonah is here.” Jesus Christ, God Himself is here, present among us. We need to seek no other sign, for when we look up at the Cross, there is our sign, a sign that at the same time contradicts the world and saves us from the world.
