A Sign from Heaven.

P. Ben [March 2017]
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Matt. 12:38, 16:1 and 24:30.

The propensity of the fallen man’s mind is to seek the glory of God without the need of the cross of Jesus Christ. This is so vividly presented in the Gospels, when it comes to the opposition that the Lord met in the hands of the hardened Jews. They wanted a sign - not on earth but in heaven, the place of God according to man’s primeval understanding of divine source and authority. But, the Lord as the Prophet instead gives them a sign in the earth - that of the prophet Jonah. This is even so blessed, when we compare Matt 24:30, where the Lord reveals the sign of Himself in the heaven. But, this manifest glory of God so greatly administered by means of Messianic power from heaven cannot happen without Christ, the Son of Man first suffering the agonies of death. The sign of the Son of Man from heaven comes after the sign of Jonah- the type of Christ’s death. It is by the death of Christ alone, that man can enter upon thoughts of heavenly glory.

The Jews according to the flesh (but not quickened by the Spirit) chose to accept God’s glory without the need of acknowledging Christ’s death- its essence and relation between God and man. This is the beginning of the great heresy which will finally reach its culminating wickedness when the Jews would accept the false prophet who then will show to them a sign from heaven- by bringing fire from heaven (Rev 13).

But, Christ as the Prophet* who is also the great Jehovah, suffers for the disobedience of the people of Israel. In Jonah, the disobedience of the prophet is given for the reason as to his sufferings inside the belly of the fish. Typologically, it is Christ who suffers death by taking upon Himself the disobedience of the people. Compare the voice of the Spirit of Christ in Jonah 2:3 and Psalm 88:6 and Psalm 42:7, where the vicarious sufferings of Christ for us is presented since Christ by the grace of God tasted death for every man (though here, it is much more Jewish in context).

[*Christ as much as the prophets of the old can prophesy- Woe unto Bethsaida, unto Capernaum; but the important difference to note is this- that all the faithful prophets prophesied in the name of Jehovah, while Jesus Christ being the Prophet, is Himself the great Lord of Hosts.]

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