Matthew 12:39Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"The evil generation is wicked, and the adulterer seeks a sign." The implication of these words is clear: Why should it surprise you to act toward Me in this way, when you have already done the same to My Father, whose power you have witnessed through numerous manifestations? How often have you turned away from Him, seeking companionship with the demons, as the prophet Ezekiel has admonished you repeatedly! By stating this, the Savior affirms His unity with the Father and indicates that they behave as they always have. Simultaneously, He reveals their innermost intentions, exposing their hypocrisy and enmity in their demand for a sign. He thus labels them a wicked generation, always ungrateful to those who have helped them, and by receiving such blessings, they only become more corrupt—an indication of profound evil. He denotes them as an adulterous generation, signifying both their past and ongoing disbelief, which further confirms His equality with the Father since faithlessness toward Him renders one an adulterer.

After rebuking them, what does He convey next? "And a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet." Here, He speaks of His resurrection, using a comparison for clarity. Why, you may ask, was no other sign granted to the Pharisees? It was not given upon their request. The Savior perceived their spiritual blindness, and thus He performed miracles not to persuade them, but for the transformation of others. One could understand His words in this way; or interpret them to indicate that the Pharisees would not accept a sign like the one mentioned. The sign was indeed given, for they recognized the Lord's power through their own punishment. Here, He subtly foretells of impending judgment, warning them, as it were, that despite the many blessings I have bestowed upon you, none have drawn you closer to Me, nor have you honored My power with reverence. You will come to know My might through the actions of My adversaries, when you witness your city laid waste, the walls torn down, and the temple reduced to rubble, when you find yourselves stripped of your former liberty and order, wandering as fugitives without a home. This all came to pass after the sufferings of the cross. Thus, what will be your sign instead of great wonders? Is it not indeed the greatest sign that the sufferings of the Jews remain unaltered, and that no one has been able to lessen the consequences of their past transgressions despite their efforts? Yet, the Savior does not speak of this directly at this moment, reserving the clearest revelation for the future. For now, He opens the message of His resurrection, a truth they will ultimately acknowledge through the very tribulations they will endure.

The Lord chose the Gentiles, bringing the uncircumcised as witnesses. The idolaters were granted life, and the sinners were turned around, thereby serving to humble the circumcised. Consequently, they will pass judgment on those who remained obstinately in disbelief. ‘A sign shall not be given them, except the sign of Jonah the prophet.’ Jonah’s sign served both as a message and a call to the Ninevites. Ignoring Jonah’s proclamation would lead them alive into the abyss, similar to his sojourn in the belly of the whale; yet, should they repent, they would transition from death to life, just as the prophet returned to life. In a similar manner, the Lord allows for both downfall and restoration; through His death, individuals find either life or demise. He declares: ‘Men of Nineveh’ (cf. Matt. 12:41, Jon. 3:5), redirecting their attention. For those who sought a heavenly sign, akin to the thunder of Samuel (1 Sam. 12:18), His response was that ‘Out of hell has come the preaching you desire to hear from heaven.’ Since the signs from heaven were ignored, the proclamation emerged from the depths, just as Jonah arose from the abyss. As Jonah's emergence (from the underworld) served as a harbinger of disaster for the Ninevites, proclaiming doom for their city, so too did the apostles after the Lord's resurrection.

Such signs will not be granted to them, as they seek a sign not through faith but through deceit and provocation. Yet, why did He later provide a sign? He did so, but not for their sake, as they were spiritually blinded, but for the benefit of others. The prophet Jonah refers to His resurrection from the grave after three days and three nights as a sign. He foretold that after His Resurrection, the Jews would recall His prediction of this event, specifying the days and nights of His entombment. Indeed, later on, when He was laid in the grave, the chief priests and Pharisees approached Pilate, saying, "Lord, we have remembered how he said, while He was still alive: after three days I will rise" (Matthew 27:62, 63). He identified His resurrection as the sign of the prophet Jonah, a comparison that He elaborates on further.

For the cross represents a stumbling block to those who rely on reason, yet it is salvation for those who have faith. Paul affirms this truth: But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Greeks. Yet to those who are called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, we proclaim Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:23-24). Why do the Jews seek a sign and the Greeks search for wisdom? It pleased God to proclaim the sign of the cross's temptation to both Jews and Greeks, so that those who desire to discover Christ through intellect rather than faith would be lost in the folly of their pursuit; and those who wish to identify the Son of God through visible signs, rather than through faith, would remain in disbelief, succumbing to the temptation of His death. It's not surprising that the Jews, who witnessed the death of Christ firsthand, perceived Him merely as a man, especially when even professing Christians hesitate to acknowledge the majesty of the crucified only begotten Son of God due to His death.

Therefore, THIS SIGN WILL NOT BE GIVEN TO THIS deceitful and faithless generation! I do not perform miracles for human glory, nor for the idle curiosity of the masses, but out of compassion, for the exaltation of my Father and the deliverance of humanity. I have granted you countless blessings, yet none have drawn you closer to me. Consequently, you will come to recognize my authority through the consequences of the opposition, as you witness your city laid waste and your sanctuary turned to ruins, wandering as exiles and the destitute. Henceforth, no further sign shall be offered to this wicked generation, EXCEPT FOR THE SIGN OF JONAH THE PROPHET."

For this reason, Jesus, setting an example of obedience to all His commandments, denied the deceitful inquirers a sign, stating, “The evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.” They will not receive the miraculous sign they desire now, one that would be spectacular from the heavens. However, one sign will indeed be granted to all, and this miraculous sign, this testament to the divinity of Jesus, will be His Resurrection. The prototype of this event was seen in the Old Testament through the miracle God performed with the prophet Jonah, as Jesus indicated: “For as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so also the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40).

The bond between God and the people of Israel is frequently illustrated in the writings of the Old Testament as one akin to that of a husband and wife, with the unfaithfulness of the people compared to adultery through their worship of false idols (Ps. 72:27, Is. 57:3, Ezek. 16:15, Ezek. 23:27, Hos. 3:1, etc.).

When they request a sign: the Jews sought a remarkable and extraordinary miracle from above (Luke 11:16), and their request was not made in sincere faith. The Lord responds that such a miracle will not be granted to them at this time. This does not imply that He would refrain from performing miracles to affirm His unique role as the Messiah, but rather that the specific sign they sought will not be provided now. Instead, He alludes to a significant past sign that foreshadows the greatest miracle He will achieve in the future: the preservation of the prophet Jonah in the belly of a great fish for three days. This event typifies Christ’s resurrection following three days of death, which unambiguously confirms His divine mission as Messiah. Just as Jonah was miraculously revived after his time in the fish, so too will Christ rise on the third day; and just as Jonah’s preservation led the Ninevites to repentance, so Christ’s resurrection will guide all humanity toward true faith and devotion.