Summary
For the second time, JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. testifies that his ministry does not need signs from heaven to confirm its power.
Analysis
This is the second instance in which the opponents of Jesus ask him for a sign from heaven to confirm his ministry. The first time, Jesus invoked the Old Testament and the prophet MosesProphet who led Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land and received the law at Sinai. to argue that signs do not lead to faith. In response to this challenge, Jesus turns instead to popular folk wisdomWisdom encompasses the qualities of experience, knowledge, and good judgment. The Old Testament book of Proverbs, which sometimes invokes a Woman as the personification of Wisdom, is a collection of aphorisms and moral teachings. Along with other biblical passages, it teaches, "The fear of the..., citing a set of proverbs similar to the modern English saying “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight; red sky at morn, sailor be warned.”
Once again, Jesus’ response hinges on a different understanding of “signs.” The Pharisees and the Sadducees are looking for a “sign from heaven,” that is a miraculous confirmation of Jesus’ authority. Jesus instead points them to mundane interpretation of the weather to make the point that they can’t see the obvious holyHoly is a term that originally meant set apart for the worship or service of God. While the term may refer to people, objects, time, or places, holiness in Judaism and Christianity primarily denotes the realm of the divine nature of his ministry. He leaves them once again with the reference to the “sign of JonahJonah son of Amittai was a rebellious prophet who fled from the Lord's command, only to be delivered by a big and fish and bring about the repentance of Nineveh.,” with its undertones of non-Israelites receiving the preaching of the Gospel.
