What do you think Jesus meant by this scripture from Matthew 16?

Question

4An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”

Answer 1

Jonah tried to run and ignore Gods word. God then had a big fish swallow Jonah where he spent 3 days inside of a fish. I don't think it would have been very pleasant. Jesus is saying to that generation you have all the sign's if you care to trust in the lord and listen to his prophets and read the scriptures. You will however choose to ignore them until its to late.

Answer 2

Literally, if a person asks you for a sign that God lives or Jesus is the Christ, or that we have power to heal, or some other unexplainable phenomenon, then you can be assured that the person doing the asking is an adulterer, either physically or at least spiritually. That concept spreads to the whole of society whether in His day or in ours. If we as a society seek for a sign of divinity, then we have committed adultery against God. We have broken faith with Him and have become spiritual adulterers. As for the sign of the prophet Jonah, it is that Jesus would be swallowed up in the grave for three days and then be brought forth, a glorious, resurrected being. Jonah was swallowed by the whale, or big fish, for three days and was spit out onto the beach a new man, dedicated to obeying God's command to teach repentance to Ninevah. Thus, the sign of Jonah.

Answer 3

Hi,
God preserved Jonah for three days in the belly of the fish. He also raised Jesus on the third day...there's a parallel here to look at. The sign was the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead, and that should be sign enough for a believer. Most unbelievers want tons of signs from God to prove he is who he is. And if God honored that request they still wouldn't believe. The fact is he performed all kinds of signs when the Israelites left Egypt, and they still had a hard time believing. Jesus was trying to make a point that either you believe or you don't., and he was using Johan's situation to push a point. I hope you believe! It's interesting to note he was talking to the religious leaders at the time too. They were trying to push his buttons, Jesus push theirs right back because he knew their true intentions. He didn't hold back his words as you could see in the recorded writings.
Jesus had no problem with putting these people in their proper place.

Answer 4

Jesus was talking to the Pharisees....Jesus had just raised a woman's son from the dead. And here they are asking for a sign? So He's telling them that the only "sign" they will get is the sign of Jonah. (Jonah spent 3 days in the whale and the Son of Man would spend 3 days in the earth before rising again.)

Answer 5

If the crowd He was addressing would not fall down before God after hearing the story of Jonah no sign would convince them Jesus was speaking the word of God.

Luke 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Answer 6

16:1-3 Sign from heaven : Perhaps the scribes and Pharisees were thinking of signs such as the fire from heaven that answered Elijah's prayer ( 1Kin 18:36-38 ), the plaques on Egypt ( Ex 7-12 ), or the sun standing still ( Josh 10:12-14 )

16:4 Jesus left the Pharisees and Sadducees, meaning that He abandoned or forsook them.

Normally Pharisees and Sadducees were opponents but here they had a common enemy in Jesus.

Answer 7

Jonah was in the belly a fish for 3 days and Jesus was in the belly of the earth for 3 days

Answer 8

Law is evil; It's "both good and evil" ends bad.
Matthew 6:13->Romans 7:6->Hebrews 5:14.
http://www.godshew.org/BiblicalDots.htm
http://www.godshew.org/Hebrews6.htm

Adult-ery: claiming to be espoused to His Grace,
and then found whoring with the Law Law again.
Grace is neither of two laws in Mt 22 & Rom 8.
http://www.godshew.org/TwainShew4.htm#Laws

The sign of the prophet "Jonas"(allegoric plural of "Jonah"):
"They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy".
http://www.godshew.org/ShewBread2.htm#FishStory

Which things are an "allegory" in both "covenants"
http://www.godshew.org/Allegory.htm

The GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ with you all. Amen.

Answer 9

no sign will be given accept the coming destruction. (See Jonah) it's a small book but very good reading!

Jonah proclaims judgement coming soon. the people repented,

those who repent will not be given over to judgement, but those who ignore the warnings are coming to calamity.

Answer 10

Jonas that was to turn away from their evil ways as did the king and his servants in sack clothe and prayer for forgiveness from the Hebrew god. Which he did and allowed the city to live.
Hope this will help.