What was the fatal error in asking Jesus for a sign? How can we prevent this error in our lives

1. THE LAST SIGN

2. GRACIOUS JESUS
(MATTHEW’S PERSPECTIVE WITH GOSPEL PARALLELS)
1. Presenting the King (Matt 1-4)
2. True Blessedness (Matt 5:1-12)
3. Kingdom Lifestyle – Part 1 (Matt 5:13-
48)
4. Kingdom Lifestyle – Part 2 (Matt 6)
5. Kingdom Lifestyle – Part 3 (Matt 7)
6. Master Strokes (Matt 8)
7. The King Calls (Matt 9)
8. The King Commissions (Matt 10)
9. Signs, Sinners and the Saviour (Matt
11)
10. Power Games and Names
(Matt 12)
11. Hidden Wisdom (Matt 13:1-43)
12. Hidden Treasures (Matt 13:44-14)
13. The Gall and the Glory (Matt 15-17:9)
14. Winning Others Over (Matt 17:10-
18:35)
15. Kingdom Values, Kingdom Wealth
(Matt 20)
16. The King Enters Jerusalem (Matt 21)
17. The Chosen Few (Matt 22)
18. The King’s Glorious Coming (Matt
24:1-44)
19. The Final Countdown (Matt 24:45 –
25:46)
20. The King’s last days (Matt 26)
21. Desertion (Matt 26:36-75)
22. God’s Lamb Sacrificed (Matt 27: 1-50)
23. The King Conquers (Matt 27:51-28)

3. GRACIOUS JESUS
10. POWER GAMES AND NAMES (MATT
12)
50. Sabbath Misinterpreted
51. Sabbath Reinterpreted
52. The Servant King
53. Deliverance from Demons
54. The Unpardonable Sin
55. The Last Sign
56. Replacing vs. Removing Evil
57. The Royal Family

4. THE LAST SIGN
BIBLE PASSAGE
Matt 12:38-42;16:1-4; Mark 8:11-21;Luke 11:29-32
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him,
“Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39 But He answered
and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for
a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the
prophet; 40 for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN
THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three
days and three nights in the heart of the earth.41 The men of
Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and
will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen
of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and
will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to
hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than
Solomon is here.

5. THE LAST SIGN
Jesus systematically demonstrated that he was the Messiah –
fulfilling all Scripture about himself. All genuine doubts such as
from john the Baptist would have been cleared as well.
• His birth (Isaiah 7:14, 11:1; Jer. 23:5; Micah 5:2)
• His life (Is 53, Ps 22), are references clearly pointing to Jesus
and less dual than others
• His miracles (61:1,2; 42:1-4)
• His graciousness, gentleness and compassion (Is 42:1-4)
• His rejection, lack of acceptance (Is 53)
• His teachings and explanations tailored to scholars as well
as newbees
Yet the Pharisees ask for a sign

6. WHAT WERE THEY
REALLY SAYING?
Give me more –
And keep giving me more
What is Jesus saying?
I’ve shown you every sign in the book
I’ve given you all I could
The only thing left is – my life
And I will also give that in the most
painful way possible
FOR YOU
Are you then ready to give your lives for
me? Not really

7. THE FINAL RED LIGHT
It looks like Jesus is
refusing here. But he
is obliging them – by
giving them one last
opportunity to
repent. He:
• Reiterates their
evil nature
• Exposes their
depraved
condition
• Declares the last
sign

8. REITERATES THEIR
EVIL NATURE
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him,
“Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39 But He
answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous
generation craves for a sign;…. 41 The men of Nineveh will
stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will
condemn it because they repented at the preaching of
Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is
here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise up with this
generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because
she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of
Solomon; and behold, something greater than
Solomon is here.

9. REITERATES THEIR
EVIL NATURE
They knew it all
They saw the evidence unfold in
dozens (not one) of ways
Asking for the sign was as much a
denial as aligning Jesus to Satan.
It was the ultimate hypocrisy
Even pagans like Ninevah and the
queen of Shebha responded to lesser
people
They were:
Fake (v.38)
Evil (v. 39)
Adulterous (v.39)

10. THE GENUINE
Recall John’s question in Matt 11:2 - Now when John, while
imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his
disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or
shall we look for someone else?” Jesus answered and said
to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 the
blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed
and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have
the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who does
not take offense at Me.”
Jesus was quoting all of the Isiah 61 passage except for
“releasing the captive”. John

11. WHAT WAS HE
REALLY SAYING?
I’ve given my life for Jesus. Is
there anything more I should do?
Have I been on the right track
What was Jesus saying?
You’ve done it all. All your efforts
are in the right direction. You’re
none other than the prophesied
Elijah. You may not understand
that my Kingdom will come
through my death but it doesn’t
matter. In God’s books You are the
greatest man that ever lived.

12. GENUINE VS FAKE
John’s entire life had been sacrificed
for preparing the way for Jesus
• He was now held captive by Herod
• He had not seen the miracles as
the Pharisees did
Pharisees entire life had been flirting
with the power as “keepers of the
law”
• They were now condemning God
himself
• They saw, they knew the scriptural
background

13. JESUS REACHES OUT
TO ALL
Jesus’ answers are clear and
articulate :
Shows the light to the genuine
• Breathes condemnation to the
fake
Reveals the true state:
• John was the Elijah to come
• Pharisees were worse than
Ninevah and aligned with Satan,
possibly demon possessed
Provides:
• Assurance to the saved
• Opportunity to the sinner

14. EXPOSES THEIR
DEPRAVED CONDITION
12:43 “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it
passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not
find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I
came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and
put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes along with it seven
other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live
there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the
first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”
Is Jesus alluding to the Pharisees?

15. EXPOSES THEIR
DEPRAVED CONDITION
Not only worse than the pagans
But possessed by unclean
spirits?
Performing rites that
temporarily purify only to be
possessed?
Can their condition be any
worse?
YES

16. BEFORE WE
CONDEMN THEM
Let us remember:
They are the chosen race – the
best of the best
We have already seen that last
sign and have more light than
they did
Let us reflect:
Are we really better than the
Pharisees – the 21st century
church of God? Or worse?
Do we accept our depraved
condition (even if saved) as
Christ sees it and genuinely seek
to follow Him?

17. DECLARES THE LAST
SIGN
Matt 12:31b..and yet no sign
will be given to it but the sign
of Jonah the prophet; 40 for
just as Jonah was three days
and three nights in the belly of
the sea monster, so will the Son
of Man be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth.
His Glorious Resurrection – the
final victory over Satan.
He continues to reach out to
them, the lost.
He longs to forgive and restore
even His murderers

18. DECLARES THE LAST
SIGN
Satan’s final blow
Could only overthrow
Every evil power
Forever and ever

19. DECLARES THE LAST
SIGN
Are we heeding God’s signs?
Are we aware of our true state?
While God’s humble servants like
John don’t realize how great they
are
There are other anointed ones
who don’t realize how evil they
are
Only the light of God’s word can
show us and lead us into all truth.

20. WHAT ARE WE
REALLY SAYING?
After knowing the last sign,
Are we still asking God for more?
Are we questioning our struggles,
sicknesses, death
or
Are we still seeking how we can give
God more?
What is Jesus saying?
You are frozen in complacency. Wake
up.
Or
Well done my good and faithful
servant.

21. THE LAST SIGN -
RECAP
To the Pharisees (with a “give
me more” attitude), Jesus
gives one last opportunity:
• Reiterates their evil nature
• Exposes their depraved
condition
• Declares the last sign
To the self sacrificial John,
Jesus assures him that he’s
done more than he ever
imagined.

22. DISCUSSION
1. Read Matt 11,12, contrasting John the Baptist and the
Pharisees who both questioned whether Christ was the
Messiah. How can the John the Baptists of the world
tackle the Pharisees of the world?
2. What encouragement can we gain?
3. What warnings should we heed?
4. How can we transform our “give me more” attitude to
God to a “what more can I do for you” attitude?