29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
After Jesus’ altercation with the Pharisees about the origin of his power in exorcism, the crowds increase in number around Jesus. At this point in his ministry Jesus is getting surrounded by crowds in the multiple hundreds so we should be envisioning something like that here.
He refers to those surrounding him as an “evil generation”. This is the language used to describe the stiff necked people of the Old Covenant out in the wilderness. Those that did not trust in God but themselves. They murmured against Moses and refused to take the Promised Land even though God said he would be with them. Those around Jesus are similar, yes, many are taken in by the miracles and exorcisms but it does not cause faith in them. They are essentially being entertained, like those in the wilderness, they were amazed by God’s deeds but did not put faith in him.
This generation “seeks a sign”. Signs were very important in ancient Judaism. It has a variety of meanings, it could be miracles, it could be celestial abnormalities but the substance of its meaning is “something obviously being done by God”. Jesus compares them to the faithless generation, unless something is done blatantly in their face, they will not believe. Such acts don’t cause the virtue of faith but an intellectual acknowledgement of reality. This generation will not receive a sign that nurtures faith but the last act of mercy by God. A call to repentance.
30 For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation.
Most assume that when Jesus says “the sign of Jonah” he is referring to three days dead in the whale and being raised as it is a prefiguring of the resurrection but Jesus explains in verse 30 that “as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh” so will he, Jesus, the Son of Man, be a sign to this evil generation. The Ninevites didn’t witness the miracle of Jonah rising from Sheol by God’s power after being dead for three days in the big fish. All they witnessed was Jonah’s mission from God, to call the Ninevites to repentance.
The only “sign” or “act of God” the faithless evil generation will receive is Jesus’ message “repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand”. The Resurrection will be a sign for those open to faith but many, especially the faithless of this evil generation will not. They endure in their denial of it to this day, Jews are still around.
31 The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Jesus hearkens back to another Old Testament story, like the Ninevites , it is also about Gentiles accepting the Word of God. In this case he speaks of the Queen of the South or Queen of Sheba. Jesus then talks about “the judgement” this would be the Final Judgement, the Great Assize. A divine cosmic court proceeding where all the living and dead are judged. Everyone is raised but the righteous are raised in glory, the unrighteous raised in disgrace. Jesus is using a past Gentile monarch as a polemic against the faith of the current evil generation of Jews.
This Gentile Monarch, the Queen of Sheba went to the ends of the earth to hear the “wisdom of Solomon”. Solomon’s wisdom was granted to him by God. It is in a sense, God’s wisdom in the body of a man. A broken man with concupiscence but still God’s wisdom. By extension, this Gentile Queen sought out the Wisdom of God. When she rises at the Final Judgement, she will condemn this generation since the righteous, as we have read elsewhere are at the “right hand” of the Son of Man. They share his authority and rule.
All of this props up the wisdom of Solomon but Jesus caps it with “something greater than Solomon is here”. He is the fulfilment of God’s wisdom in Man because he is the Word Made Flesh.
32 The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
Back to his words about Jonah and the Ninevites. The Gentile Ninevites actually accepted the prophet Jonah’s call to repentance, the “sign” from God. They covered themselves in ashes and fasted. They, like the Queen of Sheba, acknowledged God through the virtue of faith and in the final Judgement will rise and condemn this evil generation. Again Jesus puts all of this into its correct order, placing himself as an even greater prophet than Jonah. “Something greater than Jonah is here”. So Jesus positions himself as the greater version of God’s wisdom in man (Solomon) and the prophet who died from three days, rose and preached repentance to the Gentiles (Jonah).
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