Rejection of God’s Prophet

Today’s Gospel Text:  Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." 39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nin'eveh 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. 42 The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. Matt 12:38-42

Reflection: Who does not want to see a sign in order to believe? We all seek for that sign, the supernatural in order to believe. 

Yet a sign is not a fool proof guarantee that the person wanting to see will always believe. What assurance is there, that the person believing in and through a sign will continue to hold on to that faith?

What happens when someone comes and tells them, yeah! Look the one whom you are putting your faith in, is a glutton, eating with tax collectors and sinners, breaking the laws of God at will, not keeping the Sabbath, etc.

“Ah is it so? I am shocked, this man looks like a saint, does mighty works, now we know this one is not from God; a Beelzebub is at work in him.” Thus we could be carrying hurts against that person. 

If you think it happened only to Jesus, and now you think it happened only to the saints, as seen in church history - then you are wrong!

It keeps happening, every moment in our midst, even as God continues to work through signs through individuals.

We need to realize the wrong attitudes we could have as humans to the things of God. How blind we can be to the mighty working of God, because we see only the scandal among the holy ones of God and in the church and seek to pick the first stone to let it fly at them and the Church. 

To sort this problem, I can only think of two attitudes:

• Look at yourselves and what the Lord has to say: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Matt 7:3
• Then look at that only sign, Christ crucified, that can remove the poison of this sin; “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (vs. 40)

Christ Crucified and him risen from the dead is the greatest sign (I Cor. 1:23) to look up to and to reflect upon constantly. It shows the foolishness in ourselves, the wrong we are capable of doing, even to the most innocent, the wisdom that it reveals of God, the saving power through the mercy and forgiveness of God, the humble reaching out of God to save his people.

Prayer:  Lord, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from thy commandments and ordinances; we have not listened to thy servants the prophets, who spoke in thy name. (cfr.Dan 9:5-6)

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