"The only sign that will be given is the sign of Jonah."
Gospel of Luke
Usually when a new person begins to gain some attention on the world stage, whether it be a politician, a religious leader, or a business person, people become curious. We ask; Who is this person? Is what they are saying really true? Should we take this person seriously? Should we respond to what they say?
Jesus has become such a person among the people of Israel.
In the gospel reading, Jesus is being challenged by the legal experts of the day to prove His credentials. Is He the anointed one? "If you are who you say, show us a sign" Jesus responds with the following two stories from the Hebrew Scriptures.
When rumors of Solomon's wisdom and wealth began to circulate around the world during his reign, the queen of Sheba came to investigate, to find out if what she had heard was true. She saw, listened, and responded. She changed
When Jonah appeared in Nineveh, that great pagan city outside the boundaries of Israel, the people of that city became very curious about this man and his message --"in forty days, unless you repent, you will be destroyed." Would we also not pay attention if someone were to arrive with a message such as that. Jonah's message was that unless the people listened and changed, the consequences would be dire for them. They saw, listened and responded to his request.
In the above gospel quote, Jesus is recalling these two past incidents as He responds to the demands that were imposed on Him by the people around Him: "If you are who you say you are, show us a sign. Prove it." Many people, particularly the religious leaders, were pressing Jesus to give them proof of His claims. They were not content with what they saw and heard; they insisted on further signs. They wanted more. Probably in truth, they had already decided to reject Him and His message in their hearts, and only wanted to discredit Him.
Jesus' message to them is really His same message to us today. "The only sign that will be given to you is the sign of Jonah". The message of truth, the message of freedom from slavery from sin and hurtful desires is all out there now. It requires only your response. That response is to change. When you do, then God's Kingdom will be made visible to you. What you are looking for is already evident, but your heart must first be open to receive it. I can't force you to listen.
This is an important lesson for us as we proceed with the New Evangelization initiatives that are so common today. The purpose of these initiatives, of course, is to move towards meaningful ways to convey the message of Christ to those who are currently disengaged from faith and who have little or no interest in faith practice. We cannot impose our views on others. We cannot impose our rules and the message of the gospel on anyone whose heart is not open to listen and receive it. It just does not work that way. But we can and must propose the message of Christ in a way that hearts will be softened, that change will begin to take place. It is then that the true message of Christ will break through, and the Kingdom of God will be revealed.
The sign of Jonah that Jesus speaks about is the sign of seeing, listening, discerning, and responding by way of a change of heart.
Our task is to propose the Good News of the Gospel to all who will listen, and for those who listen, engage them in meaningful ways to develop their faith.
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