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In this message we shall consider Matt. 12:38-50.
Because the Pharisees could not argue with the Lord Jesus, they changed the subject seemingly from the negative side to the positive side. Verse 38 says, “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” Because they could not defeat the Lord Jesus by arguing, to save face they changed the subject from one thing to another; they asked the Lord for a sign. This was a subtle proposal. A sign is a miracle with some spiritual significance. The Jews always seek for signs (1 Cor. 1:22). Once again this gave the Lord the opportunity to reveal to the whole universe something further concerning Himself.
Verse 39 says, “But He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.” If you had been one of those Pharisees, would you not have been bothered by the Lord’s reply? The Pharisees seemed to be saying, “We want you to show us a sign, and you call us an evil and adulterous generation. Before this, you called us a brood of vipers. We recognize that you are a good teacher. Teacher, show us a sign. Show us a miracle with some significance.” The Lord Jesus seemed to say, “Yes, you will see a sign. Although you are not an honest generation nor a pure generation, but an evil and adulterous generation, there is a sign for you — the sign of Jonah.”
The Lord Jesus proceeded to tell them the significance of the sign of Jonah. In verse 40 He said, “For as Jonah was in the belly of the sea monster three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.” This was to be a very meaningful sign to them. “The heart of the earth” is called the lower parts of the earth (Eph. 4:9) and Hades (Acts 2:27), where the Lord went after His death. Hades, equal to Sheol in the Old Testament, has two sections: the section of torment and the section of comfort (Luke 16:23-26). The section of comfort is paradise, where the Lord went with the saved thief after they died (Luke 23:43). Hence, the heart of the earth, the lower parts of the earth, Hades, and paradise are synonymous terms, referring to the one place where the Lord stayed for three days and three nights after His death and before His resurrection.
In verse 41 the Lord continued, “Men, Ninevites, will stand up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, a greater than Jonah is here.” The Greek word rendered “greater” in verses 41 and 42 is pleion, meaning more in quantity and quality; hence, greater. It differs from meizon, the word for greater in verse 6, which means greater in external size or measure. Christ, as the Prophet sent by God to His people (Deut. 18:15, 18), is greater than Jonah the prophet. Jonah was the prophet who turned from Israel to the Gentiles and was put into the belly of the great fish. After He had remained there for three days, he came out to become a sign to that generation for repentance (Jonah 1:2, 17; 3:2-10). This was a type of Christ, who would turn from Israel to the Gentiles, and who would be buried in the heart of the earth for three days and then be resurrected, becoming a sign to this generation for salvation.
In verse 41 the Lord seemed to be saying, “The Ninevites repented because of the sign of Jonah. Yet you, an evil and adulterous generation, which will see such a sign as that of the Son of Man buried in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights, will not repent.” The Lord’s word in verses 40 and 41 was not an ordinary word; it was a prediction. Before the Lord was buried in the heart of the earth, He prophesied in this way, telling the Pharisees that He would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. I believe that the Lord Jesus told them this in His mercy. He seemed to say, “I give you a prediction of My death and burial. This shall be a sign to you, just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites that caused them all to repent. I predict this now so that when you see it, you may repent.” However, they did not repent. By this we see how stubborn the Pharisees were.
In the Lord’s conversation with the Pharisees, suddenly another sign appeared: the sign of Solomon. Verse 42 says, “The queen of the south shall be raised in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, a greater than Solomon is here.” Christ, as the Son of David to be the King, is greater than Solomon the king. Solomon built the temple of God and spoke the word of wisdom, and to him the Gentile queen came (1 Kings 6:2; 10:1-8). This also is a type of Christ, who is building the church to be the temple of God and speaking the word of wisdom, and to Him the Gentile seekers turn.
Both of these types indicate that Christ, whether as the Prophet sent by God or the King anointed by God, would turn from Israel to the Gentiles, as prophesied in verses 18 and 21.
According to history, King Solomon preceded Jonah the prophet. But according to spiritual significance, Jonah came first, as recorded in Matthew. This also proves that Matthew’s record is not according to the sequence of history, but according to the sequence of doctrine. According to doctrine, Christ must first die and be resurrected; then He builds the church and speaks the word of wisdom. This is the real sign to this generation, both to the Jews and to the Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:22, 24).
By His word in verses 40 through 42 the Lord prophesied fully concerning His death, burial, and resurrection. Jonah was a type of Christ in His death and burial, and Solomon was a type of Christ in His resurrection. If the Pharisees had not been stubborn, they would have realized that such words were not spoken lightly. Rather, the Lord’s word was very serious, significant, and meaningful. The Pharisees should not have considered them as unimportant. If we had been there and had heard these words, we certainly would have considered them serious, weighty, and filled with significance. If the Pharisees had taken in the Lord’s word, they would have repented and believed after the Lord was crucified, buried, and resurrected. In His answer to the Pharisees the Lord was merciful. Although it appears that He was rebuking them, He was more merciful than He was rebuking. He gave them the signs of Jonah and of Solomon, indicating that He was about to die, to be buried, and to be resurrected. His death and resurrection were to be the unique sign to this age and to that generation. This is also true today in the twentieth century. Christ’s death and resurrection are still the unique signs to this age. His death is truly meaningful, and His resurrection is full of significance. Nevertheless, the stubborn Pharisees, representing that evil and adulterous generation, did not care.
The Lord’s word concerning Jonah and Solomon also indicated that from that time onward He would not do any miracles for the Jewish people. Until He died and was resurrected, He would not give them any signs. His death and resurrection became the real sign to all the stubborn Jews. They were the unique signs to that generation.
Verses 43 through 45 indicate that the rejecting generation will become worse. Verse 43 says, “Now when the unclean spirit goes out from a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it.” The unclean spirit, a demon (v. 22), seeks for rest but cannot find it in waterless places, because the lodging place of demons, after God’s judgment by water in Genesis 1:2, is the sea. Since the demon cannot find rest in dry places, it returns into the man’s body it originally possessed and makes its home there (vv. 44-45).
Verses 44 and 45 continue, “Then it says, I will return into my house from which I came out; and having come, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and decorated. Then it goes and takes with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter in and make their home there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Thus shall it also be to this evil generation.” Doctrinally, verse 43 continues verse 22. In between is a record of the Jews’ rejection of Christ and Christ’s forsaking of them. Here the Lord likened the evil generation of the rejecting Jews to the demon-possessed man. In the eyes of the Lord, the rejecting Jews were like demon-possessed people. The two signs of Jonah and Solomon indicated that the Gentiles would repent, but the case of the demon-possessed man indicated that the rejecting Jews would not repent. They will only sweep away the dirt and add good things to beautify themselves, but will not receive Christ to fill them. Rather, they will remain empty and unoccupied. This is the condition of today’s Jews. Near the end of this age, they will be seven times more possessed by demons, and their state will become worse than ever.
The Lord Jesus likened that evil generation to a demon-possessed person out from whom a demon has gone. Because that person would not repent and accept Christ, he remained empty. Although the demon was cast out, Christ could not come in. Therefore that person was like a vacant house. The Lord Jesus said that this generation was like such a person. The Lord describes this house with three words: unoccupied, swept, and decorated. This word was also a prophecy, a prophecy that has been fulfilled and yet is still to be fulfilled. The Jews who have returned to form the nation of Israel are swept, decorated, and unoccupied. The entire nation of Israel today has been cleansed, and so many things have been cast out. Furthermore, they have been decorated with various good things; the Jewish people excel in science and other areas. However, the nation of Israel remains unoccupied. The Lord’s word in these verses is a prediction of the stubborn generation of Jews today.
I love Israel, but I must speak according to God’s revelation. In a recent visit to Israel, we saw that the Jews are swept, cleansed, and decorated, but they are unoccupied. I agree with the Lord’s word. When the demon realized that the person was unoccupied, it took seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all came to occupy the vacancy. This indicates that year by year the nation of Israel will become more and more devilish. More and more demonic things will be found there. The Jews are like a clean house, but they will not accept Christ and receive Him into them. Rather, they remain unoccupied. Consider the nation of Israel today. What is the Jews’ goal? Many would say that they have no goal other than maintaining the existence of their nation. But that should not be their goal. Whether or not the nation of Israel exists does not depend upon the endeavor of the Jews; it depends upon God’s mercy. I am not concerned for the existence of the nation of Israel. God has restored it, and no one can abolish it. All that the Arabs are doing is in vain because the restoration of the nation of Israel is the work of God. Nevertheless, the nation of Israel today has no goal; hence, it is unoccupied.
I became clear regarding this portion about Israel more than forty-five years ago. At that time, of course, I could not see the restoration of Israel or the return of Jerusalem. I will never forget the day in Shanghai when I read in the newspaper about the restoration of Israel; neither will I forget the day in 1967 when I heard that Jerusalem was returned to Israel. No doubt Israel will exist as a nation until the Lord comes back. My concern is that Israel remains empty. Why will the Jews not accept their Messiah? Why will they not allow Christ to occupy them? Today they remain unoccupied, and their situation will become worse and worse.
After this, as the Lord Jesus was speaking to the crowds, His mother and His brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to Him, and someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You” (vv. 46-47). This also was an environment giving the Lord the opportunity to reveal something. The Lord said, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers? And stretching out His hand over His disciples, He said, Behold, My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father Who is in the heavens, he is My brother and sister and mother” (vv. 48-50). This indicates that the heavenly King forsook His relationship with the Jews in the flesh. In this chapter, the Jews’ rejection of Christ, having reached its climax, resulted in Christ’s full forsaking of them. At this point, the break between them and Christ began, and they were severed from Christ (Rom. 11:17, 19-20). After the break with the Jews, Christ turned to the Gentiles. Then His relationship with His followers was no more in the flesh, but in the spirit. Whoever does the will of His Father is His brother for helping, His sister for sympathizing, and His mother for tenderly loving.
In verses 46 through 50 we see a great turn, even a dispensational turn. From this point onward, Jesus’ relationship with people is not based upon the natural birth, but upon the spiritual birth. Whoever does the will of the Father who is in heaven is a relative of Jesus. In other words, at the end of chapter twelve, the Lord indicated strongly that He had given up the entire race of Israel. After that, His relationship with people was to be based upon something spiritual. All those who do the will of the Father are His relatives. Hallelujah, we are not only Christ’s relatives, but His members! We are His members not by our natural blood or natural birth, but by our spiritual birth in our spirit. He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17). Now we are not only His brothers and sisters; we are one spirit with Him, one body in Him, and one new man in Him.
At the end of chapter twelve the Lord Jesus made a clear declaration to the whole universe that He was through with Israel according to the natural blood. Thus, Romans 11 says that Israel was cut off. This cutting off took place at the end of Matthew 12. Romans 11 also says that the Gentiles have been grafted in. This also took place at the end of Matthew 12. In the next message we shall see the mysteries of the kingdom. In that chapter we shall no longer see Israel, but the Gentiles who have been grafted in as the church.
