Reflection on Matthew 12:38-42

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Friday, July 20, 2020

Jesus has been accused by the Pharisees of relying on the power of Satan, the prince of demons to drive out demons. But in today’s Gospel, the Pharisees were accompanied by some scribes in demanding a request from Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” They are asking him to do something that will authenticate him as God’s agent, that he is truly using the power of Yahweh to expel demons from people. Now, it is not clear the kind of sign they want Jesus to show them. Before they made their request, Jesus has brought a dead girl back to life, and if this was not enough for them, I wonder what else would have convinced them. And going by what we know now, there was nothing Jesus did that ever convinced them to believe in him. They opposed him from every side, lied against him, and had him crucified. And Jesus himself knew that nothing he says or does would convince the scribes and the Pharisees. So, rather than give them a sign, he says to them, “And evil and unfaithful generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.”

What is the sign of Jonah? The sign of Jonah is the Son of Man being in the heart of the earth just as Jonah was in the belly of a large fish for three days. The Pharisees were already plotting to kill Jesus (Mtt. 12:14), so with his own mouth, Jesus predicts that their plot to have him killed will be actualized. However, after his death, he will only be in the tomb for 3 days just as Jonah was in the belly of a large fish for 3 days. Jesus also predicts his resurrection as well. Just as Jonah did not remain in the belly of the great fish, so also will the Son of Man not remain in the heart of the earth. After three days, he will rise. 

Sisters and brothers, we all would like to see more evident signs of God’s presence and power in our lives and in the world. When we struggle in life— sickness, hardship, failure, job loss, marriage collapse, addition of a family member, loss of a loved one, grief, financial difficulty etc. we wish for a more evident signs of God’s presence and power in our lives and situations. However, when you feel that way, remember Golgotha and the empty tomb. The events that occurred in those historic places are the greatest and most mysterious signs of God’s presence and power in our lives. At Golgotha, God died on our behalf. He took upon himself our sins, our shame, our failure, our dysfunction and paid the price on our behalf. On Golgotha, we were absolved, acquitted and declared worthy and free again. The empty tomb is the source of our hope. It tells us that every pain, misfortune, suffering etc has an expiry date. Golgotha tells us how much we are loved; the empty tomb assures us that victory is ours if only we stay connected with the Triumphant Warrior, Jesus Christ. He is our Lord and Redeemer. He is our Refuge now and thereafter.