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Intermediate Sunday School Lesson 76 : The sign of the prophet Jonah

Text: Matthew 12
6 August 2023

INTERMEDIATE SUNDAY SCHOOL 6 AUGUST 2023
STUDIES IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Text: Matthew 12

Subject: The sign of the prophet Jonah

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Matthew 12:38-40

1. The scribes and Pharisees

a) The scribes
i) They were religious scholars
ii) They were the lawyers of the day
iii) They posed as the religious authority of the nation
b) The Pharisees
i) They practised a strict form of Judaism
ii) They were meticulous in the keeping of the traditions of the elders
iii) These traditions sometimes negated Biblical teachings
c) Spiritually
i) They did not have a genuine faith in God
ii) They were known as hypocrites to John the Baptiser and the Lord Jesus
iii) They were defeated by the Lord Jesus on many doctrinal disputes

2. The pretence of the scribes and Pharisees

a) They asked for a sign
b) This seemed to be a legitimate request
c) This was actually an inconceivable request:
i) Many signs and wonders had already been performed
ii) The Lord Jesus had healed many, both in Judea and Galilee
iii) Each miracle was a clear sign

3. The Rejection of the Lord Jesus

a) The Lord knew the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees
b) He called them out!
i) They were “an evil and adulterous generation”
ii) They had no call to make this spurious request
iii) They had been living sinfully and were full of evil

4. A cryptic answer

a) The Lord Jesus spoke about the prophet Jonah
b) He was in the stomach of a great fish
c) But God delivered him from certain death
d) This was the sign of Jonah
i) The Lord Jesus would die and be buried
ii) But God would raise Him from the dead
iii) His resurrection would be the greatest sign ever
LESSONS FOR US TO LEARN

1. Let us never have hearts like that of the scribes and Pharisees

2. Let us be honest and sincere when questions are raised concerning faith in God

3. The Scriptures have given to us all the answers we would ever need

4. Our challenge is to have:

a) The humility to learn
b) The discernment to comprehend
c) The faith to believe and to trust the Lord