Jesus Gives Us a Sign - The Gospel of Matthew Part 20
Sep 17, 2018
auto_awesome
Jesus responds to the challenge of proving his identity by giving a riddle and referring to the sign of Jonah. The podcast explores the theme of demanding signs from God and the danger of seeking temporary solutions. It discusses the significance of Jonah, addiction and recovery, the need for wholehearted commitment to Jesus, and Jesus' life as a sign of God's love and commitment.
Jesus indicates that his death and resurrection will be the only sign given to prove his identity.
People's specific expectations of Jesus can lead to disillusionment and a demand for him to prove himself, which is unhealthy and fails to fully trust and follow him.
Deep dives
Demanding Proof
The Pharisees and teachers of the law challenge Jesus to provide a sign to prove his identity. Jesus responds by comparing himself to the prophet Jonah, indicating that his death and resurrection will be the only sign given.
Creating Expectations
People often have specific expectations of how Jesus should behave and work in their lives. When Jesus doesn't meet these expectations, some become disillusioned and demand that he prove himself. Jesus warns that this mentality is unhealthy and dangerous, as it fails to fully trust and follow him.
The Sign of Jesus' Love
Jesus reveals that his life, death, and resurrection are the sign of God's love for humanity. Jonah's story of being swallowed by a fish parallels Jesus' death and resurrection. Jesus offers himself as a sign of God's faithful love, while warning that rejecting him or creating false expectations leads to spiritual emptiness.
A New Family
Jesus emphasizes the importance of following him wholeheartedly, stating that those who do the will of God are his true family. Jesus creates a new family of disciples who listen to his teachings and commit themselves to him, in contrast to his own family who struggle to understand and accept him.
In this teaching, we address Matthew Chapter 12. Here, the leaders of Israel challenge Jesus and they want to make him prove his identity. Jesus responds by giving them a riddle and talking about the sign of Jonah.
This story also raises a fascinating parallel with many of our own personal stories where Jesus is not coming through for us at all the way we thought he would, and we begin to bargain with him, but Jesus just doesn’t really work like that. Listen in for more on these topics.
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode