Matthew 12 - The Sign of Jonah

Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:38-40.

Despite all the miracles, signs, and wonders performed by Jesus, the Pharisees and scribes of Israel could not believe He was Messiah, but instead asked for a sign. Jesus called them evil and adulterous for asking for additional proof, because as God's covenant partner (Israel was considered God's wife), they of all people should've had eyes to see and ears to hear. The only sign they would be given was the sign of Jonah, who was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights.

I'm sure the prophet Jonah had no idea that his life was a prophetic metaphor for the coming savior, and yet it was. Jesus declared that as Jonah was in the whale's belly, He, the son of man, would likewise be three days and nights in the belly of the earth, meaning the tomb. But then after that time, He would be resurrected and would preach the Word to Israel and the world, just as Jonah was spit forth from the whale's mouth and preached repentance to Nineveh!

So many of us have been taught that Jesus died on a Friday, was in the tomb on Saturday, and then was raised up on Sunday. For years I had wondered how Jesus could've been in the belly of the earth for three days and three nights if He died in accordance with this time line. Fortunately, after some research and digging into the truth, I discovered what many have come to believe, that He in fact died on  Passover of 30 AD, which is a Wednesday, making the Scripture absolutely true!

Matthew 5 - the Beatitudes

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:1-3.

After Jesus selects His first disciples, He lays out a blueprint for the individual who will receive the Kingdom of Heaven. Referred to as the Beatitudes, we find this teaching in Matthew 5. 

As the multitudes followed Him and as His fame became great in all of Israel, Jesus left a wake of healed and delivered people behind Him. At this point, He went up to a high mountain and taught his disciples about the Kingdom.

Who will receive this wonderful Kingdom? It won't be those who believe they are righteous because of their law-keeping and their good deeds. No, it will be those who receive righteousness God's way - by and from Jesus Christ, His son - by His grace through our faith.

Those who are poor in spirit, who mourn and long within their hearts for something more than what religion offers, who hunger and thirsts for God, who desire mercy and peace from Him are the ones who seek after this Kingdom and receive it. Persecution from the religious sect will come, but great blessings will be the reward.

All of us who are IN Christ Jesus can attest that we have been that man at some point! And when we come to Him and get born again, we become rich in spirit, our mourning ceases, our thirst and hunger are quenched and satisfied! We are children of God, filled with His Spirit, becoming partakers of His divine nature. What could be better than that?!