The Sign of Jonah

In one paragraph

This message came from the middle of the pastor's Harmony of the Gospels series, sitting between two larger sections of text. He worked through a cluster of connected moments: the scribes accusing Jesus of operating under Beelzebub's power, the Pharisees demanding a sign, the announcement that Jesus' true family is whoever does God's will, and the opening line of the parable of the sower. The...

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1. Psalm 100:3 opened the service: 'Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His. We are the sheep of His pasture'
2. James 1 (latter portion) Monday night study topic: 'every good and perfect gift comes from God'
3. Psalm 119:105 read before the offering: 'Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path'
4. Isaiah 28 referenced as prophecy: 'I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone, a precious cornerstone'
5. Isaiah (unspecified) Old Testament prophecy cited in connection with parables: 'seeing they will not see and hearing they will not understand'
6. Mark 3:20-21 crowds so large Jesus and his family could not eat; family said he had lost his senses
7. Mark 3:22-27 scribes accuse Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub; Jesus responds with the divided kingdom argument and the strong man illustration
8. Mark 3:28-30 all sins forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, because they said he had an unclean spirit
9. Matthew 12:33 'Either assume the tree to be good as well as its fruit good'; tree known by its fruit
10. Matthew 12:34 'You offspring of vipers... from the mouth speaks that which fills the heart'
11. Luke 6:45 quoted alongside Jeremiah: 'The good person out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good... the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart'
12. Jeremiah (unspecified) cited alongside Luke 6:45: 'Our hearts are desperately wicked and who can understand them'
13. Matthew 12:36-37 'For every careless word that people speak, they will give an account on the day of judgment; by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned'
14. Matthew 12:38 scribes and Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign after his words about judgment
15. Matthew 12:39-40 Jesus calls them an evil and adulterous generation; no sign given except the sign of Jonah; as Jonah was in the sea monster three days and nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth
16. Matthew 12:41 men of Nineveh will stand at judgment and condemn that generation because they repented at Jonah's preaching, and something greater than Jonah is here
17. Matthew 12:42 queen of the South came to hear Solomon's wisdom; something greater than Solomon is here
18. Matthew 12:43-45 unclean spirit leaves a person, returns with seven more wicked spirits; last condition worse than the first; describes that evil generation
19. James 1:8 referenced in passing: 'a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways'
20. Psalm 51 pastor invoked David's prayer: 'Search me, O God, and see if there be any wicked way in me and cleanse me from every sin'
21. Matthew 12:46-50 Jesus' mother and brothers seek him; Jesus extends hand toward disciples and says whoever does the will of the Father is his brother, sister, and mother
22. Mark 3:31-35 parallel account of mother and brothers standing outside; Jesus announces new spiritual ties
23. John 7 (approximate) pastor notes a list of Jesus' brothers can be found there
24. Luke 8:4-5 large crowd gathers; Jesus speaks the parable of the sower: 'The sower went out to sow'
25. Matthew 13:1-3 Jesus gets into a boat, crowd on the beach; begins many parables with 'Behold, the sower went out to sow'
26. Mark 4:1-3 very large crowd; Jesus teaches from a boat by the sea; 'Listen, behold, the sower went out to sow'

Talk about it

1. The pastor talked about Jesus' own family thinking he had lost his senses, and asked whether we ever feel like Jesus is acting in a way that upsets our 'religious apple cart.' When have you found yourself resistant to something Jesus was clearly doing, and what was underneath that resistance?
2. The sermon pointed to the phrase 'from the mouth speaks that which fills the heart' and connected it to the idea that communication problems in relationships are really heart problems. What does the pattern of your own words this past week tell you about what is actually filling your heart right now?
3. The pastor said there are still people today who say 'let God show me' and that this is essentially the same request the Pharisees were making. What do you think is really behind that posture, and how should the church respond to people who say it?
4. The sermon described Jonah as someone who knew God's message was good news but refused to carry it to people he felt did not deserve it. Where do you find that same attitude showing up in yourself or in the church today?
5. The pastor closed by asking us to think about the condition of the soil of our own hearts before the series moves into the parable of the sower. What is one thing in your life right now that you think might be hardening or crowding out the soil, and what would it look like to bring that honestly before God this week?