ルカによる福音書11:29-32 Luke 11:29-32,

「今の時代の者たちはよこしまだ。しるしを欲しがるが、ヨナのしるしのほかには、しるしは与えられない。」 (ルカ11:29)

 

旧約聖書に登場する預言者のヨナは、アミタイの子ヨナと呼ばれる人です。列王記下の14章25節に、紀元前8世紀の前半、ヤロブアム2世という人が北イスラエル王国の王であった時代に、預言者として活動をした人として、その名前が記されています。旧約聖書のヨナ書によれば、ヨナは、主なる神様からアッシリア帝国の都ニネベに行って人々に悔い改めるように説教する使命を与えられました。ところが、敵であるニネベの人々のところに行くのがいやであったヨナは、メソポタミアにあるニネベとは正反対の方向、つまり今のスペインにあたるタルシュシュの国に向かって、船に乗って逃げました。ところが、主なる神様が大風を吹かせたので海は大荒れになり、ヨナの乗った船は今にも沈みそうになりました。船に乗っていた人々は、だれが原因でこのような災いが起きたかを調べたところ、ヨナが主なる神様の命令に逆らってタルシュシュに向かっていたことが明らかになりました。そこで、ヨナは自分が主なる神様に逆らっていることを正直に告白して、「わたしの手足を捕らえて海にほうり込むがよい。そうすれば、海は穏やかになる。わたしのせいで、この大嵐があなたたちを見舞ったことは、わたしが知っている」(ヨナ1:12)と言いました。こうして、乗組員たちがヨナを海に放り込むと、海は静まったのです。海に放り込まれたヨナはどうなったでしょうか?ヨナは溺れ死なないで神様の用意した魚に飲み込まれました。そして、その腹の中で生きて三日三晩を過ごしました。魚の腹の中で神様に感謝の祈りをささげたヨナは、魚から吐き出されて地上に生還しました。そして、再び「アッシリアの都にニネベに行って悔い改めを求める説教するように」との神様の命令を受けました。そこで、今度は、ヨナはニネベに行って「あと四十日すれば、ニネベの都は滅びる」(ヨナ3:4)と人々に告げて、ニネベの人々に悔い改めを求めました。そうするとニネベの人々は悔い改めて、神様の憐れみにより滅亡を免れたというのであります。

福音書を記したマタイは、預言者のヨナが三日三晩、魚の腹の中にいたということと、キリストが十字架にかかって死んだ後、陰府に降り三日目に復活なさったことを結びつけて、「ヨナが三日三晩、大魚の腹の中にいたように、人の子も三日三晩、大地の中にいることになる」(マタイ12:40)と記しました(中略)本日の聖書の箇所で、キリストが「預言者ヨナのしるしのほかには、しるしは与えられない」とおっしゃったその意味は、「ヨナのように苦難を受けて復活するということ、すなわち、キリストが十字架の苦しみを受けて復活するということのほかには、キリストが神から遣わされた救い主であるというしるしは与えられない」という意味であります。 このことは、ある大切なことを私たちに教えています。すなわち、キリストを信じるか否かということは、キリストが人類の罪を償うために十字架について死んで、三日目に復活したことを信じるか否かということで決まるということです。そのことを信じるか否かが、すべての時代のすべての国の人に問われているのです。         (7月20日の説教より)

 

Believing in Jesus Christ is something that cannot be predicted or explained by human reason. Even when reading the same book, the Bible, some people believe and others do not. Similarly, even when hearing the same sermon, some receive grace and others do not. It is indeed wonderful to grow up hearing the teachings of the Bible from childhood, but this does not necessarily mean that everyone who hears the teachings of the Bible as a child will believe. Here are also those who come to believe in Jesus Christ later in life, after reading the Bible or attending church. Even in countries like America and Europe, which are called Christian countries, there are many people who do not have faith in Christ. Even in countries like Japan, where Shintoism and Buddhism are strong, there are people like us who believe in Christ. When people come into contact with the work and character of Jesus Christ, how they react is something that cannot be predicted or explained by human reason; it is truly known only to God.

Today’s Bible passage depicts the scene where Christ rebukes the Jewish crowd for their unbelief. By pointing out their unbelief, Christ is calling the Jews to repentance. The situation of the Jews at that time is described in 11:14-16 as follows.

 

Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.

 

From this passage, we can see that even though Jesus Christ performed the miracle of casting out demons, there were some Jews who did not believe that he had done so by the power given by God the Father. Additionally, some demanded that Christ should prove he was the Saviour sent by God by performing another miracle, such as a sign from heaven. “A sign from heaven” likely refers to a special miracle that would prove Christ had authority from God.

In response, Christ issued a stern warning and called upon the people to repent. His words are recorded in verses 29-32 of today’s passage as follows.

 

“This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise up 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. The men of Nineveh will rise up 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.”

 

Christ’s words in verses 29-32 can be divided into two parts: the first half and the second half. The first half means that, just as the prophet Jonah of the Old Testament called on the people of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, to repent, Christ is also calling on the people of this age to repent. The second half means that if they do not repent, the people of this age will be condemned at the Last Judgment on the Last Day.

Matthew, who wrote the Gospel, explains Christ’s words more clearly in Matthew 12:39-40. The words of Christ recorded there are as follows.

 

“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

 

The phrase in Matthew 12:40, “Just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights,” is more specific and easier to understand than the phrase in the first half of verse 30 of today’s passage, “As Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation”

The prophet Jonah is called “Jonah the son of Amittai.” His name is recorded in 2 Kings 14:25 of the Old Testament as the prophet who was active during the reign of King Jeroboam II of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the first half of the 8th century BC. According to the Book of Jonah in the Old Testament, Jonah was given the mission by the Lord God to go to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, and preach to the people there to repent. However, Jonah, who did not want to go to Nineveh, the enemy city, boarded a ship and fled in the opposite direction of Nineveh, which was located in Mesopotamia, toward the land of Tarshish, which is now part of Spain. However, the Lord God sent a great storm, and the sea became very rough, threatening to sink the ship. The people on board searched for the cause of the disaster and discovered that Jonah had disobeyed the Lord God’s command and was heading toward Tarshish. Jonah then confessed honestly that he had disobeyed the Lord God, saying, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you” (Jonah 1:12). When the crew threw Jonah into the sea, the sea became calm.

What happened to Jonah after he was thrown into the sea? Jonah did not drown but was swallowed by a big fish prepared by God. He spent three days and three nights alive inside the fish. Jonah prayed a prayer of thanksgiving to God while inside the fish, and was then vomited out onto dry land. He then received again God’s command to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, and preach a message calling for repentance. Then, Jonah went to Nineveh and told the people, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4), and urged them to repent. As a result, the people of Nineveh repented, and by God’s mercy, they were spared from destruction.

Matthew, who wrote the Gospel of Matthew, connected the story of Jonah spending three days and three nights in the belly of a fish with the story of Christ dying on the cross, descending into hell, and rising again on the third day, writing, “Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” It is likely the words recorded in the Gospel of Luke that are closer to what Christ originally said. However, the words added by Matthew, “Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth,” also accurately explain Christ’s intention. This is because the common point between Jonah and Christ was that they both suffered and were resurrected. The meaning of Christ’s words in today’s Bible passage, “No sign will be given to this generation except the sign of Jonah the prophet,” is that Christ suffered and rose again, just as Jonah did, and that Christ is the Saviour sent by God. This teaches us an important truth: whether we believe in Christ or not depends on whether we believe that he died on the cross to atone for the sins of human beings and rose again on the third day. This is the question that is being asked of all people in every age and every nation.

Next, what is the meaning of the latter part, that is, verses 31 and 32? It means that those who do not believe in Christ, who died on the cross and rose again on the third day, will be condemned at the Last Judgment. Verse 31 is based on an ancient event recorded in 1 Kings chapter 10 of the Old Testament, in which the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon of Israel. Sheba was a kingdom located in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula that had prospered greatly through trade. The queen of Sheba heard of King Solomon’s wisdom and prosperity and came to the city of Jerusalem with a large amount of gold, jewels, and spices. The queen of Sheba asked King Solomon all the questions she had prepared in advance, but there was nothing he could not answer. The Queen of Sheba was amazed by King Solomon’s wisdom and prosperity and declared, “Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard” (1 Kings 10:7). She then praised the Lord, saying, “Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness” (1 Kings 10:9).

What is noteworthy here is that the people of Sheba believed in Almaqah, the god of the moon, and the Queen of Sheba had the character of a priestess who ruled the country as the representative of Almaqah, the god of the moon. Despite having a completely different religious background from Israel, the Queen of Sheba believed in the Lord God, the Creator of heaven and earth, who had given wisdom to King Solomon, and returned home. The same can be said of the king of the Assyrian Empire and the people of Nineveh. The king of the Assyrian Empire and the people of Nineveh believed in the god Ashur and various other gods, but as stated in the latter half of verse 32 of today’s Bible passage, “they (people of Nineveh) repented at the preaching of Jonah.” That is, they repented after hearing the preaching of the prophet Jonah and believed in the Lord God, the Creator of heaven and earth. Therefore, the Queen of Sheba and the people of Nineveh had a greater faith in the Lord God than the Jews of Christ’s time.

Christ speaks of these in the first half of verse 31, “The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them,” and in the first half of verse 32, “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it.” These mean that at the Last Judgment, the testimony of the Queen of Sheba and the people of Nineveh will reveal that the Jews of Christ’s time did not believe in Christ, whom the Lord God sent, and that the Jews will be condemned. By using such harsh words, Christ is urging the Jews of his time to repent.

That Christ is urging the Jews to repent is also clear from the end of verse 31, where he says, “Behold, something greater than Solomon is here,” and from the end of verse 32, where he says, “Behold, something greater than Jonah is here.” In other words, since Christ is the king greater than Solomon and the prophet greater than Jonah, Christ is urging them to believe in him and repent. The Queen of Sheba, who encountered the wisdom of King Solomon, believed that the power of the Lord God was at work in King Solomon. Similarly, the people of Nineveh, who heard the preaching of the prophet Jonah, believed that Jonah was a prophet sent by the Lord God. However, the Jews who encountered Jesus Christ, who was the king and prophet greater than Solomon and Jonah, refused to believe that he was the Saviour sent by the Lord God. To such unbelieving Jews, Christ is calling out, “Believe and repent.”

We can repent by believing in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and rose again for the salvation of humanity. And repentance occurs precisely through the special guidance of God’s Holy Spirit. The story of Mr. ISHIHARA Hidehiko, a driving instructor, illustrates well that believing in Christ and repenting is the result of the special guidance of God’s Holy Spirit. This person has a unique spiritual journey. Having suffered from insomnia for many years, he found that reading the Bible at home helped him fall asleep, so he repeatedly read the Book of Genesis. That is not the only unusual aspect of his spiritual journey. Despite twice volunteering to be baptised, he cancelled both times at the last minute. This was because, as the day of baptism approached, he realised he could not confess that “Jesus is the Son of God,” and thus could not go to church. In that sense, he was a very honest person.

This person had been striving diligently to find salvation through his own efforts. He would run every morning, going back and forth to the top of a nearby mountain, and he also tried to gain faith through spiritual discipline, pushing himself to the limit. One day, while giving a lecture at a driving school, he suddenly experienced a severe ringing in his ears so intense that he could not hear his own voice. Despite visiting the hospital, the cause remained unknown, and he spent a month unable to sleep at night. He forced himself to return to work despite his insomnia, but he could not perform as he wished, and he felt his previous way of life, which had relied on himself, crumbling away. One day, while meditating with a sense of despair, thinking, “I must work hard today,” the scene from the Bible passage about Christ’s crucifixion that I had read the previous night came to mind. And I heard the crowd’s voice saying, “Crucify him!” Mr. ISHIHARA listened intently to that voice and realized that it was none other than his own voice.

Mr. ISHIHARA described that moment, saying, “At that instant, I clearly understood that my sins had crucified Jesus. It was not a matter of reason, effort, or training, but the work of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth.” He began attending church services with joy and eventually received baptism on his third attempt. In Mr. ISHIHARA’s case, the hardships of his work and health concerns made him aware of the uncertainty of his own existence, leading him to humbly confront the cross of Christ. Let us also humbly confront Christ, who bore the cross for our salvation. And let us continue to believe anew each day, repent, and receive the grace of Christ.