Luke 11:29–32 “When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, ‘This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah’ ” (v. 29).
Signs and wonders made up a significant part of our Savior’s earthly work, their purpose being to show that the kingdom of God had arrived in His ministry (Luke 11:19). Yet not everyone who saw the miracles had a true interest in the kingdom. Many were there just for the show, looking to miracles as ends in themselves, not as signs pointing to the authority and redemption of Christ.
We see this in today’s passage. Luke 11:29 reports that as the crowds of observers were increasing as Jesus made His way south to Jerusalem, Jesus condemned them as an evil generation for seeking a sign. In context, it is plain that their seeking was evil because they had no real desire to believe and follow the words of Christ. Verse 28 features Jesus’ pronouncing a blessing on those who keep God’s Word, implying the existence of many people who did not, and verse 16 indicates that some were out to test Him by demanding a sign from heaven. Even if not all those looking for a sign were so hostile to Jesus that they sought to test Him, Jesus’ rebuke makes sense only if they were looking for a sign for the wrong reasons. Matthew Henry writes about those whom Jesus rebukes in verse 29: “They came to gaze, to have something to talk of when they went home.” They came to Jesus, looking not for God’s kingdom but for entertainment.
Jesus then said that no sign would be given to that generation except the sign of Jonah (v. 29). The parallel account in Matthew 12:38–42 indicates that this sign would be the resurrection of Jesus, the final miraculous seal of approval that God would put on the ministry of Christ. This sign would demonstrate the truth of our Lord’s words and works and become a sign of judgment to all who reject it.
The sign of Jonah cannot be exhausted by Jesus’ resurrection. Christ said that Jonah and the Son of Man would equally be signs to their respective generations, and the commonality between them was their warning of judgment (Jonah 3; Mark 1:15). Jesus seems to have meant that His preaching itself was sufficient to prove His heavenly commission and that His warnings became oracles of condemnation for those who rejected His message (see John 8:12–30). Thus, because that generation was looking for a sign without wanting to trust the Lord, they would be condemned by Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba, both of whom responded favorably to the message and were not there simply to see an amazing act of divine power (Luke 11:31–32; see 1 Kings 10:1–13; Jonah 3).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
In every generation, there are people who come to the church not out of a sincere desire for salvation but for other reasons, such as entertainment or to make social connections. Some churches even tailor their ministry toward entertaining people, watering down the gospel in an attempt to increase attendance. This may be done out of a sincere desire to reach the lost, but if our churches are not proclaiming the full gospel, then they are ultimately of no good to the world.
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