Exploring My Strange Bible - Jesus Gives Us a Sign - The Gospel of Matthew Part 20

Episode Date: September 17, 2018

In this teaching, we address Matthew Chapter 12. Here, the leaders of Israel challenge Jesus and they want to make him prove his identity. Jesus responds by giving them a riddle and talking about the sign of Jonah. This story also raises a fascinating parallel with many of our own personal stories where Jesus is not coming through for us at all the way we thought he would, and we begin to bargain with him, but Jesus just doesn’t really work like that. Listen in for more on these topics.

Tim Mackey, Jr. utterly amazing and worth following with everything that you have. On this podcast, I'm putting together the last 10 years worth of lectures and sermons where I've been exploring the strange and wonderful story of the Bible and how it invites us into the mission of Jesus and the journey of faith. And I hope this can be helpful for you too. I also help start this thing called The Bible Project. We make animated videos and podcasts about all kinds of topics in Bible and theology. You can find those resources at thebibleproject.com. With all that said, let's dive into the episode for this week. All right, well, in this episode of Exploring My Strange Bible, we're going to keep walking through the gospel according to Matthew.

These were teachings I did years ago when I was a pastor at Door of Hope Church in Portland. And at this point in the series, we're in Matthew chapter 12. We're going to consider a story where the leaders of Israel, specifically the Bible teachers, the Bible nerds in Israel, challenge Jesus and they want to make him prove his identity by performing a sign. And Jesus, true to form, responds with giving them a kind of riddle and talking about the sign of Jonah, the famous prophet from the Hebrew Bible. So this is just an interesting story on its own terms, but it also raises this fascinating parallel with many of our own personal stories, where there are times where

Jesus is not coming through for us at all the ways that we thought he would, and we get into these like positions of bargaining with him, making him prove that he really is who he says he is to us. And Jesus just, man, he just doesn't operate like that. So this teaching of Jesus' conflict with his contemporaries, I think opens up a whole bunch of personal questions as well about what kind of posture I'm going to have towards Jesus when he doesn't dance the way that I thought he would. So, really significant issues opened up by this story. Let's open up the text of Matthew and learn together. Did you know that even though it might say in your Bibles, it actually probably doesn't

if you look for it, it doesn't say the gospel of Matthew, the gospel of Mark. Even though we refer to these books as the gospels, throughout history they've always been referred to as the gospel according to these four different authors, which means it's one good news, one message of good news expressed through four different accounts of Jesus' life. And so there you go. I didn't plan on saying that. That one's for free. It's one good news, one message of good news expressed through four different accounts of Jesus' life. And so there you go. I didn't plan on saying that.

That one's for free. I'll just take that home with you. But it's really interesting because it makes you realize that you're getting the story of Jesus, you know, like refracted through four different lenses. Or think of like a diamond that has all these facets. It's one reality. It's one reality, it's one thing, but there's all these facets into the heart of the gem that gives you a bit of a different angle and so on. And so Matthew, we've been in this series of Matthew, and right now we're in this section in chapters 11 through 12, and Matthew has collected together all of these

portraits of how people are responding to Jesus, and most of them negative, or at least neutral. And we're going to read about another one of these, Matthew chapter 12, verses 38 through 50. I'm just going to read the whole thing here. Chapter 12, verse 38. Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, and when you hear law there, think Jewish Torah, the first five books of the Bible and all the rules around obeying the first five books of the Bible. The teachers of the Torah, they said to him, to Jesus, teacher, we want to see a sign from

you. And he answered, a wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign. No sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it. For they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah's here. The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it. For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon,

and now something greater than Solomon's here. When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and then doesn't find it. And so it says, hey, I'm going to return to the house that I left. And when it arrives, it finds the house hey, I'm going to return to the house that I left. And when it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. So it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and then they all go in and live there.

And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That's how it's going to be with this wicked generation. Now, while Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, hey, your mother and brothers, they're standing outside, they want to talk to you. And Jesus replied to him, who is my mother and who are my brothers? And pointing to his disciples, he said, here are my mother and The Gospel according to Matthew. So what are we looking at this week? So, what are we looking at this week? There's a story about people demanding a sign from Jesus,

and then something about haunted houses and how Jesus is a little bit rude to his mom, right? Okay. So, there's always more, right? There's always more to it. But granted, this three set of stories, right? The demanding of the sign, this thing about a haunted house or something, and then Jesus' exchange about his mom and his brothers. I mean, it's odd, right? But they go together. Matthew's put these three together, and there's a flow of thought to it. And so, what's this about? It leads with the most important thing. You've got a group of people who they're demanding proof from Jesus that He is who He says He is, that His character is true, and that He's good. And really, I mean, just to let the cat out of the bag, what is this story about? Because it's not just about things that happened a long time ago. These stories are told because we discover things about Jesus in these stories, and we discover

things about ourselves. And so this story is a portrait of moments when God's people, right? He's not talking to non-Israelites. He's talking to the covenant people. when God's people put God in the witness stand and demand proof from God. That's what this is about. And so there are moments in this case, right, these are people who they're offended or they're bothered by Jesus' claims about himself, and so they demand proof from him. But the mindset, right, or the atmosphere that the story creates is about these moments where God's people demand proof from God. It might be because you're offended about Jesus' claims about itself, but there are lots of reasons, right, why we get into this headspace where we put God in the witness stand and we demand that Jesus prove himself to us. And so it might be, you know, maybe you've been in this headspace. I certainly have been

when it comes to like wrestling through a doubt, like an intellectual doubt or struggle or a question about Christianity or something I'm trying to sort out. I think many of us can end up putting Jesus on the witness stand when difficult life circumstances happen, right? And we just want Jesus to come through for someone else or for us and solve some problem or whatever. And so we're talking, this is what the story is about. We're talking about moments where we have this kind of underground resistance to Jesus, and we want him to prove himself to us. In these moments of struggle with Jesus, it's like we're reserving the right to not actually be committed to him until he comes through on this thing that I need him to

deal with, right? That's what we're talking about. That's what's happening here in this story. And Jesus says that's a really unhealthy place to be, and it's a dangerous place to be, because we risk not actually seeing the reality of what's happening in our own hearts and minds. Because here's the thing, if you reserve the right to not be committed to Jesus until He does this little thing for you... Actually, here's the thing. Probably most of us have been in this headspace, but if you're really good at this move with Jesus, it's totally subconscious, right? Because you hear it out loud, and you're like, oh, that's horrible, right? It's like dangling a carrot in front of Jesus and say, like, solve my problem, and then I'll follow you,

you know? And like, we would never actually say that, but that's what's happening here. And more of us have been in this moment with Jesus than probably we would like to admit. And so how does Jesus respond, and how does He diagnose what's happening inside of people's hearts in a moment like this? And that's what Jesus is going to move towards through these, I grant you, odd stories and things. So let's dive in and let's just see what's happening here. But I just encourage you, keep that at the forefront, because many of us have been there. We're struggling to even want to give our allegiance to Jesus, because He's not coming through for us in the way that we want Him to. And if you're

honest with yourself, you've been there. So let's watch how he navigates this scenario. So right back up to the beginning, verse 38. So somebody's asking that Jesus provide a sign, right, or proof. Who is it? Who's he talking to right here? So Bible teachers and Pharisees. Now, if you just read the story out of context, which we often do, right, you're just like, hey, you know, it's some religious people, and they want a sign from Jesus. Yeah, that's a reasonable request. Jesus is making these kind of big claims about himself. That seems reasonable. And then what's Jesus' response? You wicked adulterers. You're like, whoa, it's a little intense, you know? So what's happening here? There's more to this story, right? He's talking to these

religious leaders and Bible teachers, and actually they've been… we're diving into a story here that's already in midstream, right? So think back to… we've been in chapter 12 now for a few weeks. Do you remember how chapter 12 began? Remember how it began? So this same exact group of people, the Pharisees, pick a fight with Jesus, right? They like sneak up on Him because He's not observing the Sabbath in the way they think He ought to, and so they pick a fight with Jesus, right? That's how this chapter began with the Pharisees doing that. And then the Pharisees follow Jesus into a synagogue, and Jesus heals a man's broken hand on the Sabbath, and then they pick a fight with him about that. And then Jesus heals a blind man, right? That's what just happened before this. He heals a blind man who's never spoken in his life, and it's this incredible, incredible healing. and they say that Jesus is evil and that He's empowered by the

devil. And look at verse 14. Look back at chapter 12. Look at verse 14. The Pharisees so have it out for Jesus. This is the setting of the story right here, verse 14. The Pharisees went out, and they plotted how they might kill Jesus. The Pharisees went out and they plotted how they might kill Jesus. And look at the next sentence. Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. So, first of all, teacher, we want to see a sign from you. Is this a genuine question?

Answer? No. No. So, just think about the dynamic here. I mean, how many, just like a little thought experiment, think how many of you woke up this morning knowing, you know, that there's a group of people here in Portland, and they're very powerful, they're very influential, and they're hatching plans to murder you, right? And you see them at church, you know, and they're like, how you doing today? You know, like that's it. That's it. You got it, right? So that's what's happening here. These are people that Jesus knows are creating plans to murder him. And then they

have the, you know, like the gall to come and in public ask this question. It's a teacher, you know? We're really interested in what you're doing here in the kingdom movement. How about just some more proof or another sign, right? And Jesus knows. He's face-to-face with people that he knows are plotting to kill him. So he just cuts right through it, right? He just cuts to the chase, and he just names their real motive in asking the question,

which is evil. They're going to murder an innocent man. So he says it's a wicked and adulterous generation that's demanding proof or demanding a sign right now. So wicked, they're plotting to murder a man who's done nothing but heal and help people. That's kind of screwed up, right? But then he calls them adulterers, which is odd. I mean, it's probably not what would come to your mind, right? When you're addressing the people that are plotting to kill you, you adulterers. Like, that's just not what would come to your mind.

It comes to Jesus' mind. One, because He grew up reading the Old Testament Scriptures, and His mind is filled with the theology and the images of the prophets and the poets of the Hebrew Scriptures. And when they look at the people of Israel, God's covenant people, and when God's covenant people resist and rebel against the God who saved them out of Egypt and fed them in the wilderness and brought them into the promised land, the prophets call that Israel adulterous, right? Because they're two-faced, right? They stood at Mount Sinai and said, like, yes, we're all for you, God of Israel. You saved us. We're going to follow your commands and your decrees and wherever you lead us. And then Jesus comes as Emmanuel, as the very embodiment of that God to his own people, right? His bride of 1,500 years, right? At this point in history. And what

is the leadership of Israel's response to Jesus? Like, we just need more proof. And actually, it's just totally, they're talking out two sides of their mouth, because this isn't really about proof, is it? They're already having a plan to kill him. They've already rejected him. That's what last week was about, right? The blasphemy of the Spirit. They've already declared that Jesus is evil, and they believe they're on the side of God. They're going to kill Jesus because they think they're doing a service to God. And so they put up this smoke screen, right, that they want a sign. Now, here's what's easy for us to do, I think, is because the Pharisees are portrayed pretty negatively, right, in the second half of the Gospel according to Matthew, and it's easy for us

to kind of create this distance and be like, well, good thing I'm not like that. I mean, I didn't kill Jesus. And so we kind of see ourselves on the side of Jesus, and we're the ones following Jesus and these legalistic Pharisees or whatever. Let's just hold. Stop. There's this thing called the high horse that we're on.

When you have that mind, you've got to get off the high horse that we're on. When you have that mind, you got to get off the high horse, and you have to really, like, we're not strangers to this mindset, are we? Okay, and so it may not be, right, that you're intent on murdering Jesus, but what are we talking about in this story? We're talking about God's own covenant people who begin to nurse this resentment against their own God. And here it's expressed against Jesus. So, what's happened? We've traced this already. Like, the Pharisees are among the Jewish groups that had an expectation about what the Messiah would be and do when the Messiah came. And part of that story and expectation involved a victorious military operation against the

pagans, liberate them from the pagans, pull a Moses and Exodus thing, you know, do one of those, trump on the bad guys, and set up the new kingdom of David here in Jerusalem. And what is Jesus doing? I mean, He's saying that He's the Messiah, but the reign and rule of God that Jesus says is breaking into the world doesn't look like that, like just not at all, right? This is this upside-down value system, and Jesus says that the highest value in the community that's living under the rule and the reign of God is healthy relationships and loving God and loving reign of God is healthy relationships, and loving God and loving your neighbor, including your enemy, which means not killing them,

but actually praying for them, seeking their well-being. And they're just disillusioned with Jesus altogether. He's clearly not the guy, because he's not dancing to our tune, he's not being the Messiah the way that we think he ought to be the Messiah, and the smoke screen comes up. We just need more proof, Jesus. But this isn't about proof at this point. It's about that Jesus isn't behaving the way that they want him to behave. And because of that, they demand that he just do one more thing to demonstrate that he is who he says he is. And once you put it that way, and that's clearly what's going on in the story, like you guys, we're not, we are not strangers to this resistance against Jesus, are we? If we're honest with ourselves, I think. I mean, just be honest with

myself, right? Seasons in my life where I'm trying to follow Jesus, and then the way that He works in my life is just not the way that I would prefer Him to. And it's just not, I don't like how Jesus is behaving in my life right now. And so, He doesn't solve my problems, right? And here's just not, I don't like how Jesus is behaving in my life right now. And so he doesn't solve my problems, right? And here's the thing, it's not just that you're prideful and being rebellious or something. It can be expressed in these genuine, heartfelt, painful burdens that we carry, right? So there's someone with cancer, and we're just praying, praying, praying that Jesus would cure that. He cured the guy who was blind. Can't He cure this person with cancer? Or there's something in our life, whatever, like I don't want to be single forever, right? I want to

like actually find a job that I'm good at, and that somebody will see that, or something like these genuine concerns. And we have a vision that Jesus' number one priority should be to work in those situations in the way that I want him to. And then he doesn't. And it begins to generate this resistance, right? This lack of trust. And then we find ourselves in spaces where we're like bargaining with Jesus. And we're like, Jesus, if you would just do this one thing, then I would really know you are who you say you are, then I would commit myself to you. This is all subconscious, by the way, right? So if you're good at it, it's all subconscious. And you guys know what I'm, does anybody know what I'm talking about? A handful of you, right? So the rest of you are in denial, as I say, right? So, like this,

if you're going to follow Jesus, you will end up in this space. And it may be that it's a smokescreen. Maybe you're actually just trying to justify a set of decisions that you're making, and they're selfish, they're against the teaching of Jesus, they're sin, and you're trying to justify it. And you'd be like, well, Jesus, if you just do this one thing, then I'll really follow you. But actually, it's just you're trying to justify your behavior. Like, here's not what I'm talking about. And so what is Jesus' response? He first of all says that's a very, it's a dangerous place to put yourself for lots of different reasons. And those reasons are these three responses that he works through here. But you need to ask yourself, what's happening is that what I'm saying is that whoever Jesus is,

here's my expectations of what Jesus should be and do, and then here's what Jesus actually is, and it's not the way I want him to behave. And it forces you to ask the question of like, okay, so what do I do with the real Jesus who doesn't behave the way that I want him to? Is that Jesus enough for me that I would follow him and give him all of my allegiance, even though I have to fundamentally like redo my expectations because Jesus doesn't dance to my tune, like redo my expectations because Jesus doesn't dance to my tune, apparently. What do you do with that? And that's what Jesus responds to here. Look at how he goes on. So three main responses that he gives. First is to talk about the prophet Jonah. The second is talk about haunted houses.

And then the third is this weird thing that happens with his mom, right, and his brothers. houses, and then the third is this weird thing that happens with his mom, right, and his brothers. But it all ties together. You'll see how it ties together. What he says, he says, a wicked, adulterous generation asks for a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Jonah, three days, three nights in the huge fish. So the son of man, referring to himself, will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. So you don't get a sign. You want a sign? You don't really want one, actually. This isn't about proof. But no, you don't get a sign. Well, actually, here's one. Do you see that? Great. Jesus. And the only sign you're going to get is the anti-sign, the prophet Jonah.

Now, here's somebody you never thought Jesus would compare himself to, right? If you've actually read the book. If you've only seen a cartoon version, right, then you're happily delighted, right? With like, you're like, oh, I actually know what he's talking about. Here, if you actually read the book, this is very strange, right? Because who's Jonah? Jonah is one of the most bitter, stubborn, jerk-faced people in the Bible. That's who Jonah is, right? He's a jerk-faced prophet. He resists almost every attempt that God makes to humble him and to get him to do what he's asking him to do. He hates non-Israelites. He hates people who are not like himself so much that he would rather die than go announce who God is to these people

of Nineveh, right, these non-Israelites. And then when he actually does, when the Ninevites actually do respond to his five-word sermon that God's going to destroy you all, whatever, right? That's all he says to them. And then they humbly repent and turn to the God of Israel. And then he's so mad, he demands that God put him to death. And the story ends with Jonah chewing God out for being too loving and too nice. You know what I'm saying? Like, this is very odd. Like, why is Jesus comparing himself to this horrible man, right, in the Old Testament? And so he's actually not. He's not comparing himself. He specifies what he means, doesn't he? Did you see it here? Like, our minds start going like, whoa, Jonah, the whole story. And Jesus is like, no, he zeroes in just on one. And actually,

it's the strangest moment in the whole book. And it's the moment in the story that all the cartoons focus on, right? And it's this strange death that Jonah undergoes, right? As he sinks to the bottom of the sea, and then he's swallowed up by a huge fish. Which, when you're reading in the story, that's not great news. You know what I mean? To get swallowed up by a huge fish, you're like, that's a bad way to go, you know, like digestion and all that. What would that feel like? So, the point is, it's like, this guy's done. But then, miraculously, right, in the story, God's grace preserves this man from death and delivers him from death. That's the story that Jesus alludes to right here. And then after that, he goes and preaches a message, and people respond to it.

And he says, you don't get any sign but that, the anti-sign, Jonah. And what does he make the comparison to? He says, Jesus knows. He knows that he too is going to be swallowed up by death. Now, how does he know that? How does Jesus know that? Aware of this, that the Pharisees were plotting to kill him, he withdrew, right? Who's Jesus talking to with these very words? The people that he knows are hatching a plan to murder him. And Jesus knows that that's coming. He can see what's coming, right? He knows it. And he knows and trusts that the Father is not going to let their evil and his death be the last

word but that he will be delivered from death through death and from death into something on the other side right this is the heart of the man will heart of the son of man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights and that that once his resurrection, his deliverance from death will vindicate him and his message as really being who he says he is. Watch how, look at how this works, you guys. These people put up a smoke screen and they come to Jesus and they demand proof, which they don't actually want. They've rejected him already. And Jesus says like, yeah, you don't get any proof, right? Because you're like, your motives are so screwed up and you so refute me. Actually, I changed my mind.

Here's the proof you get, the anti-sign. The only sign you get is that you're going to kill me. That's your sign. You're going to kill me, and I'm going to let you kill me. You're going to kill me, and I'm going to let you kill me. Why? Why would Jesus do that? Because he actually couldn't be more different than Jonah in this way, right? You have to float

over the whole story of the gospel according to Matthew now and just say, who is Jesus? Jesus is Emmanuel. He's God. The God of Israel come to be with His people, and His presence, His goodness, His mercy, right, it draws goodness out of some people, and repentance, and humility, and it heals some people, but for others who are just so dead set on this is who the God of Israel is, and this is how the God of Israel is supposed to behave, and Jesus is not that, that actually somehow it intensifies that tension, right? Because what's happening is that I have a set of expectations in my heart, and that God is not doing that for me, and instead of forcing me to step back and say, like, I should re-examine my expectations, it just makes me even more ticked off than I already was.

See, I knew Jesus wasn't who he says He is. I knew this is a sham. It exposes that within us, and you have a choice, right, about what you do with that negative energy that's aroused inside of you when Jesus doesn't do and doesn't behave the way we want Him to. And so here's the sign. You're going to kill me, him to. And so, here's the sign. You're going to kill me, and I'm going to let you kill me, because Jesus sees as his vocation to be not the rock-em-sock-em king of David who's going to tromp on the pagans. He's got this thing from the book of Isaiah, right? This vocation, this mysterious vocation of the suffering servant king who so loves his people that he's going to die for them. And he's going to take their sins into himself and absorb their own evil and the consequences of their own evil into himself and take it to the grave because he loves them and because he's

committed to them. A wicked and adulterous generation doesn't get a sign except the sign that you hate me, and you're going to kill me, and I'm going to let you kill me because I love you, and I'm committed to you despite your adultery and faithlessness. That's what's going on here. Jesus remains faithful even though His people are faithless. And Jesus says, I don't even need to condemn you. Your own actions condemn you. And who else is going to condemn you? As he goes on, look at verse 41. The men of Nineveh, speaking of Jonah, right? The people of Nineveh, they're going to stand up at the judgment with

this generation, and they're going to condemn it. For they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and someone greater than Jonah is standing right here in front of you. The queen of the south. You guys remember this story? 1 Kings chapter 10. Anybody? Yeah, it's a good one. Jesus pulls out here. It's the queen of Ethiopia, right? Of ancient Ethiopia. And she hears about the wisdom that the God of Israel has given to Solomon. She makes this long journey and gives Solomon all these gifts. It's a great story, 1 Kings chapter 10. So she comes. She's going to stand up, right, and condemn these people who reject Jesus because she came from so far just to listen to Solomon, and someone greater than Solomon is here. So Jesus envisions this moment. He says, I don't need to condemn you, right? He picks two stories of non-Israelites who have just the faintest revelation of the God of Israel, right, through Jonah's five-word sermon, right, or through just

hearing a report about the wisdom the God of Israel has given to this King Solomon. And so they travel, you know, these long distances and come and totally humble themselves and turn to the God of Israel. And Jesus is like, I don't need to condemn you, right, for your wicked, adulterous hearts. Like, these people will do that, right? Because they're going to stand and say, you guys, like, you had a prophet greater than Jonah. You had a Messiah king that was far greater than Solomon, and you killed him. You killed him. You're so wrapped up in your vision of how God should behave, you actually hated God when he finally came to do something for you, and you killed him. And Jesus says, I don't need to condemn you.

Your own actions condemn yourselves. Then he starts talking about haunted houses. Okay, let's talk about this. So this is odd. I'll just totally grant you that this is an odd saying of Jesus. Look at the last sentence. Look at verse 45. He talks about this spirit goes out, and then the house, the person is the metaphor of a house, and then it's empty and really clean because the evil has left it. But then the spirit,

like, can't find anywhere, and so it comes back, and it's like, oh, this is better than I left it, you know? And I can get a bunch of my friends and come back. And so it's this odd little story, right, about demons and houses. But look at the last sentence, verse 45. What is Jesus actually talking about? He's actually talking about who? Look at the last three words, verse 45. This wicked generation, this is how it will be with this wicked generation. This is how it will be with this wicked generation. Jesus is telling a parable right here. So, He's not giving a lecture about exorcisms or about haunted houses. He's telling a parable. He's using an idea that clearly seems to be popular and understood among His audience, that when somebody is freed, when somebody is liberated from spiritual oppression or evil,

right, because of Jesus, like that's a genuine improvement, right? But if the house, if the person's life remains unoccupied, then it's vulnerable to that evil returning and having even more destructive influence and even more devastating consequences. Now, if you and I were going to tell a parable to make that same point, we would do something different, right? It's because we live in a different culture or something. What came to my mind was actually the two friends that I've had who formed addiction, substance addictions, and I just watched them over a course, for one friend over a course of about three years, for one it was shorter, it was about six months, and they both developed really intense substance addictions. One of them, it just took them to the bottom. The other friend got into recovery. And actually, the first time I went to like an AA

meeting was with one of these friends. And it was a great experience. And I'll never forget because the topic of conversation that night was about something very similar, right? And it was about that a true long-term recovery from a substance addiction isn't just about like building up your willpower to say, no, I'm not going to drink alcohol anymore. That's involved, right? That's actually a really important step. But to only say no to something without also like starting a whole new life with a whole new set of life goals and a new community of people around you to support you in your new purpose and tasks, right? Without this positive focus of your life, this is like, don't think about pink elephants. And what do you think?

Don't, right? I'm not going to drink. I'm not going to drink. I'm not going to. You guys know what I'm talking about. To say yes to something, excuse me, to say no to some destructive evil behavior that has a hold on you, you have to say yes to something new. You have to fill your house with new occupants and with new life. And so Jesus is using this as an image of this whole situation, right, that He's with, with the leaders of Israel and with Israel. And Jesus is saying, listen, I'm here, I'm confronting evil, I'm bringing the rain and the rule of God, and that's having a positive effect in Israel. But see, here's the thing, is that you're all going to kill me, and I'm going to let you because I love you, and things are going to change after that refusal, right? The house will be empty, and people will have a choice as to what they're

going to do with Jesus after that point. Because Jesus can come and have like this kind of superficial positive effect on someone, but they haven't actually committed themselves wholeheartedly to following him as a disciple. And Jesus says for people in that situation, it's actually dangerous, and it would have been better never to even hear about Jesus in the first place, right? Because the final condition will be worse than the first. And it's a parable, right? And so, if you actually go read commentaries, there's about 20 different views about what Jesus is talking here. But Jesus is critiquing this shallow reception of Himself, that when people allow Jesus to kind of have this kind of positive effect on their lives, and He's Jesus, and, you know, he helps me have a good day,

you know, and he, but there isn't this wholehearted commitment to actually follow the real Jesus. What you end up doing is following a Jesus of your own making, and I, Jesus guarantees that Jesus will let you down, because you're, we're forming a Jesus who's like, he's like my little genie, and he solves all my problems, and I pray to him. And then all of a sudden, you'll hit this point where you're like, Jesus isn't behaving, you know, and he's not doing what I thought him to do. And then you'll get bitter, and then you'll be frustrated. And then all of the transforming power that Jesus could have in your life, you never even opened yourself to it because you never were actually following the real, you guys get what's happening here? And so,

the final condition is worse than the first. These are intense warnings, right? Really intense warnings. And it paves the way to the last movement, which is a note of hope after these harsh warnings, but it doesn't feel like it at first, at least. Verse 46, Jesus was still talking to this crowd. He's talking to the crowd. His mother and brothers were standing outside. So, we have this moment here where apparently the transition of the Pharisees and the conflict with them, Jesus is now inside a house with his disciples, right? And they're sitting there because he can point out at them. And so he's inside a house, and his mother and brothers, they're outside the house. And they want him to come out so they can talk with him. And Jesus is like, no, I'm not going to go outside and talk with my family. This here is my

family. It's an odd story. What's happening here is Jesus, this is the hope. Jesus is in the business of creating a new family, a new household of people who will just sit, they'll just sit and listen to Him and have the intention of actually following Him and doing the will of my Father in heaven. They actually want to be disciples of the real Jesus. And that's in contrast to even His own family. The Pharisees, we know, have refused Jesus, but His own family. This is a little-known fact. This is kind of interesting, is that we have no clues before Jesus' resurrection that his own family wanted to follow him as disciples. If anything, we get the opposite, right? Because here, the contrast is between the disciples who are in the house, and they're

sitting, and they're listening to Jesus. And then you have Jesus' own family, and they are standing and staying outside the house, and they want Jesus to come out to them. And in the gospel according to Mark, right, the way Mark has shaped this story, he tells us, oh, excuse me, he tells us the motivation of Jesus' mother and brothers. They say, that's what they say, they're standing outside, and they thought to themselves, Jesus has lost his mind. They think Jesus is crazy, right? What's Jesus doing? You know, it's like, he's our brother, you know? We grew up, like, making stone statues and building chairs with him, and now he thinks he's the Messiah or something, you know? I mean, they're scandalized by him, and they think he's crazy. And so they come to this house, and they demand that Jesus come outside to them,

and Jesus says, no, this is my family. This is the family that I'm creating, people who trust me and will just sit and listen and put themselves under the yoke of the kingdom. Remember chapter 11, Jesus' yoke? And they'll follow Him, the real Jesus. So, we have this contrast again. We have Jesus' own family, people who have every reason to know Jesus very well, but they don't actually.

And Jesus isn't behaving the way that they want Him to behave, and so it creates, once again, this tension. And Jesus says, here's what it means to actually follow me. Here's what it means to fill the house. Here's what it means to respond to the true, to the sign, to the sign. to the true, to the sign, to the sign. So what's happening in these stories? You have three people that we can model, right, or imitate. You've got the Pharisees, who because Jesus has not behaved the way they want him to behave, they've refused Him outright, and they put up the smoke screen of demanding proof, but this is not really about proof. You have Jesus' family, and they want Jesus to work on their terms and to come out to them because He also is not what they expect. And then you have the people in the house who they see the real Jesus for who He is,

and they just want to sit and listen to Him and to commit themselves to following Him. And of these three responses here, you have to ask, like, who really has understood God's true sign? God's true sign. I joked earlier that Jonah is like the anti-sign but there is there is a sense in which what is the sign Jesus clearly thinks that his his life his death and his resurrection are a sign and they're a sign that's so powerful that even these non-israelites are going to look at the pharisees and just be like, you idiots. Like, what were you thinking? You had the sign standing in front of you, right? And you wanted more. What more could you have wanted?

And so I think this is, for me, this is the thing that has worked me over, right? And so there's grenade. I'll just let you sit with it because it's been bothering me all week, right, is Jesus is God's sign. Some of us, we get into places where we wish Jesus would behave a certain way, and He doesn't, and it ticks us off. And so we want Jesus to just do this one thing. I really will be committed to you and follow you passionately if you just work out this one situation here. And what Jesus is exposing is that I'm neglecting the sign that's already been given, that Jesus is God's sign. Jesus is God's sign, that you're going to kill me and I'm going to let you because I love you. And why does Jesus' death have the meaning that it's an act of God's love? Because it's God coming among His own people who so don't like what He

exposes inside of them that they reject and they kill Him. And Jesus says that's actually, that paradox is the point. God is so committed to binding himself to broken, screwed up people that even despite our own faithlessness, he remains faithful. And in Jesus, we see God binding himself to just hard-hearted, right, selfish people in becoming human. And he lives among us this utterly loving, other-centered, merciful, compassionate life, and he dies along with us, and for us, and for our sins, and he's raised from the dead as an expression of God's love for us, and he offers us his life as a gift. And what's happening inside of me when I have this thing in my life and i'm like jesus why don't you

do something about that and then i nurse this resentment and i begin i i make jesus i like want him to prove that he actually loves me and what jesus does he just says what look at remember this thing i did right the sign the sign of my love for you. It's like my life and my death and my resurrection and my life is a gift to you. And what I'm essentially saying, when I reserve the right to not be committed to Jesus because he won't behave the way I want him to, what I'm actually saying is that's not enough, Jesus. Like what you did was not enough. I signed up for a version of Christianity where you solve all my problems. And Jesus is like, yeah, that's actually not the deal. The deal is that there's this event that happened in history that exposed our real need as human beings, which is not to have like this

micromanager genie God who solves all of our problems. It's a God who comes and addresses the heart of the human condition, that we live in a culture of death and participate in all these different ways and contribute to a culture of death. And the Creator God comes among us because of His love and grace, and He takes that into Himself on our behalf. And He defeats it, and He brings it back to life, and He gives that life to us as a gift. And He's like, what more do you want me to do for you? Jesus doesn't ever promise that He'll solve all of our problems. What He promises is that He'll be with us, and that His presence with us is the presence of the Jesus who's committed to us, He died for us, He's raised for us. And so, what am I going to do? I can refuse that sign

and be like, oh, it was 2,000 years ago, and what relevance does that have to me and to my life? I could pull that move. I could pull the move of being like Jesus' family and be like, oh, I'll be kind of loosely connected to Jesus, you know, and stand outside the house and kind of hang around, but actually, but really what I want Him to do is come outside to me and work on my terms. And Jesus says, that'll ruin your life, and you'll be better with Jesus in not too long, right? So just give it up right now. Or we just humble ourselves, and we just say, like, there's stuff that happens in our lives that I don't know why. Like, there are disappointments and things coming, and they will happen, but they do not alter the fact of God's sign for you and I in Jesus. Whatever your life circumstances are, Jesus is saying, they don't alter the fact that I have done what I've done

for you because I love you. And you can reject it, you can want the veneer of it on your life, or you can come sit inside the house and trust and follow me. That, it seems to me, is what's going on in Matthew chapter 12. So, I don't know, we're all in different places, very different stories. And so here's the question I put in front of you. As we come to take the bread and the cup together, is what, like just which of these three do you see yourself in this morning? And as we come to take the bread and the cup, I mean, talk about signs, right?

We're about to eat a sign together, the bread and the cup, I mean, talk about signs, right? We're about to eat a sign together, the bread and the cup. We're going to eat the sign that points to the true sign, that is Jesus and His love and His death and resurrection for us. And I just encourage you to ask Jesus to give you insight into your own subconscious, right, and the move that you're pulling with Jesus right now. And whether you're now. And just ask him to just give you insight to what's happening inside of you and to soften your heart and to help you see the real Jesus who absolutely loves you

and who's committed to you, and he proved it by a historical set of facts that your life circumstances cannot change. That he loves you, that he gave his life for you, and that he was raised for you. Thank you guys for listening to Exploring My Strange Bible podcast. We're going to keep exploring the gospel according to Matthew and the episodes that are still to come. So, we'll see you next time.