NO SIGN WILL BE GIVEN TO THEM EXCEPT THAT OF THE PROPHET JONAH. Matthew 12:38-42

These Pharisees and scholars who demand a miracle from Jesus, move in a similar direction. Jesus has demanded mercy from those who believe themselves to be righteous; He has urged humility to those who believe themselves superior to Jesus and to others. They despise the proclamation of Jesus. They want spectacle, not doctrine. Something that dazzles, not the light that illuminates. Jesus gets upset. They treat him as they treated Jonah. He will also be cast out of life by them.

What Matthew ultimately wants to present with his Gospel is that Jesus not only acts with the power of God, but that He is the Son of God. The Jews couldn’t understand that. “Jesus did nothing else in his public life than to preach the Good News of the Kingdom, to care for all those whom He encountered on his way. He sought  to free them from any evil that could affect them and to ensure that everyone, particularly the most destitute, could have a dignified life.