Please read the passage before the commentary.
First I would consider it rather insulting to call Jesus “Teacher”. That would be like calling that most respected Buddhist monk, the Dalai Lama, Misters Lama.
They asked for a sign. Jesus gave them the sign of Jonah. Jonah was the reluctant prophet. When he was sent to the Ninevites, he went the other direction. He spent three days and nights in the belly of a whale. When he finally went to the Ninevites, he was surprised that they listened to them and repented.
What is the sign of Jonah, then? The tree days in the belly of the whale can foreshadow the three days of Jesus in the tomb. He could be the ready repentance of the Ninevites and be a call to the Scribes and Pharisees to repent of their disbelief. It could also be a suggestion to the Scribes and Pharisees that they not imitate Jonah in refusing to obey God’s word.
The Ninevites, like the queen of the south, were pagans who listened to the words of God. The scribes and Pharisees were members of God’s chosen people who were not listening to God.
How well do we listen to the word of God?
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