Luke 11:29-32
Introduction: Americans seems to have an addiction to superlatives. We have a president who uses superlatives all the time. I cringe every time I hear him say one superlative. I wonder why we are so fascinated by superlatives? I think this might be because we tend to be very competitive. We like having the best, biggest, fastest etc. Outdoing the last guy, or team or organization is really a thing with us.
As recently as after winning the sixth super bowl championship title, the fans, the media, all most everybody began to call Tom Brady, “The G.O.A.T” (The Greatest of All Time) Really? Tom Brady in his own words, "I don't even like that. I don't even like it. It makes me cringe, it makes me cringe. " No doubt, Tom Brady may be the greatest football player of all times, he is not certainly the greatest of all times. Then who in the world truly deserves to be called, “The Greatest of All Time.”
For the past few weeks, we have been studying through the Gospel of Luke. Last week we looked at the theme, “Am I being a good neighbor? Today for our study we will look at a crowd that was obsessed with signs of greatness, and were looking for a miraculous sign from heaven. We will also look into how Jesus cleverly turns their focus from human greatness to true greatness.
Background: After the powerful teaching on Prayer in Chapter 11, Jesus casts out a mute demon from a man. When the demon left the man, he began to speak. The crowds were amazed at this awesome miracle. But some took objection to it and began to accuse that Jesus was casting out demons with the help of the “prince of demons” Yet others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.
To such crowds, Jesus turned and addresses them, “This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign.” In the earlier chapters 7:31, 9:41 Jesus used similar references mainly addressing the rebellious, stubborn nation of Israel. But the warning goes beyond Israel and applies to everyone who is just as stubborn and rebellious towards God, in spite of seeing all the miracles. On several occasions, Jews asked for miraculous signs but Jesus rejected their requests because they had wrong motives. Evidence was not the means by which he appealed to unbelievers.
He wanted them to believe in Him for who he says he is rather than the miracle he could perform. Similarly, even today Jesus wants us to acknowledge Him as God, rather than a moral teacher or a miracle worker. Instead of giving them a sign from heaven, he gave them a history lesson. He reminded them of two prominent Old Testament characters to expose what is going on in their hearts and establish who he was and for what purpose he was sent into this hostile world. The two characters were the reluctant prophet Jonah and the earnest seeker of the truth, the Queen of Sheeba. What do we know about them?
I THE RELUCTANT PROPHET
Jonah lived in 7th century BC. Contrary to the word of the Lord for Jonah to go to Nineveh, he ran away to Tarshish thinking that He could hide away from God’s presence. God had to teach this reluctant and angry prophet a lesson by shutting him up in the belly of a whale for three days and three nights. Finally, while in the belly he learned his lesson and repented.
God ordered the whale to throw him unto the shore. Can you imagine what that sight of a BIG whale throwing up Jonah unto the shore might have looked like? Jonah proclaimed the impending judgment of God and the soon coming destruction. The entire city of Nineveh, men, women, children, the cattle and the King repented, by putting on sackcloth and ashes, coupled with fasting. God our of his mercy and compassion turned His wrath away from Nineveh.
Jesus said to the crowds seeking for a sign, Vs 29b-30, “But the only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah. What happened to him was a sign to the people of Nineveh that God had sent him. What happens to the Son of Man will be a sign to these people that he was sent by God.” What happened to Jonah and his preaching was a sign to the Ninevites. Similarly, what will happen to the Son of Man ( a title Jesus used for himself), will be a sign not only to the people presented in the story but for all the future generations as well.
Jesus explains further what will happen to him In Matthew 12:40, “For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” Jesus was referring to his death and resurrection.
Vs 32, “The people of Nineveh will also stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for they repented of their sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you refuse to repent.”
Jesus cleverly uses the repentance of the Ninevites as an object lesson to rebuke the Pharisees, of their hardened hearts and their unwillingness to repent. The heathen city of Nineveh repented at the preaching of a reluctant prophet, but the Pharisees would not repent at the preaching of the greatest of all prophets, in spite of overwhelming evidence that he was actually their Lord and Messiah. This brings us to another witness that Jesus called out.
II THE ERNEST SEEKER OF THE TRUTH (I Kings 10:1-13)
It was a crucial time in the history of Israel. The fame and splendor of Solomon spread far and wide as far as the land of Sheba, which was 1500 miles away from Jerusalem. When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the LORD, she came to test Solomon with hard (difficult) questions. She had to cross the desert sands of Arabia, and travel along the coast of the Red Sea, up into Moab, and over the Jordan River to Jerusalem. Such a journey required at least six months time, since camels could rarely travel more than 20 miles per day.” Why did she take all that trouble to come to Jerusalem? Because she was an earnest seeker of the truth. When she finally arrived in Jerusalem and met King Solomon face to face, she poured out everything in her heart and asked Solomon difficult questions. Was she disappointed? Absolutely not! Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her” Did Queen of Sheba get what she has bargained for?
She got more than that, she had a life-changing experience in the presence of the wise King Solomon. In Vs 5, “She said to the King, it’s all true! Your reputation for accomplishment and wisdom that reached all the way to my country is confirmed. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself; they didn’t exaggerate! Such wisdom and elegance—far more than I could ever have imagined.” (The Message). How earnest are we, to seek the truth?
In our passage, we read about Jesus invoking the “Queen of the South to rebuke people of his time who did not recognize that one greater than Solomon was in their midst. By using these two OT characters that were familiar to his audience, Jesus laid out an argument. He argued from the lesser to the greater. If the queen of Sheba responded positively to the wisdom of Solomon, and the people of Nineveh to the preaching of Jonah, how much more should the people of Jesus’ day have responded to the ministry of Jesus, who is infinitely greater than Solomon or Jonah! What makes Jesus truly greater than Jonah and Solomon?
III. THE TRUE G.O.A.T IS THE LAMB
The desire in people to be the greatest goes way back even before the creation of the world. It first originated in the mind of Satan who coveted God’s position and wanted to be like Him. Since he couldn’t get what he wanted, he incited people to go down on that slippery path of greatness. It was the motivation of the people who attempted to build the tower of Babel.
The desire to be the greatest did not even spare the disciples. One day Jesus was explaining to his disciples, how he was going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. Instead of showing concern, the disciples showed their true heart of covetousness. In Luke 9: 46, “Then his disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest.” Knowing their thoughts Jesus laid out a simple pathway to true greatness in the eyes of God.
Vs 47-48, “He brought a little child to his side. Then he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.”
Children in Jesus’ culture were normally powerless, expected to be obedient, and dependent. Jesus brought a child to teach his disciples to be like a when it comes to following God. He showed how people become great in God’s sight as they sincerely and unpretentiously look away from self to revere him. If you want to be great, follow the way of Jesus.
Jesus lived and died a life of humility, not one of pomp and false pretense. He did not seek to be recognized by people but always did what was pleasing to His father. He modeled not an authoritarian leadership style but a servant leadership style. He did not abuse his power and authority to meet his selfish needs instead he healed the sick, fed the hungry raised the dead and fought for the poor and the marginalized. He did not bully people. He loved all people.
Jesus avoided all publicity and often spent time praying in lonely places to the Father. Finally, at the cross, he showed his love towards his friends by laying down his very life for them. In Philippians 2:6-9, “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” One day everyone, including the so-called great people will bow their knees and confess with their tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
What made Jesus the greatest of all time is not so much what he did but the path of humility he chose. I want the whole world to know that Jesus Christ truly is “THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME.” The true G.O.A.T is actually the Lamb. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” John 2:1:30.
In the book of Revelation, in his heavenly vision John the evangelist sees a Lamb that looked like as if it had been slaughtered. When he took the scroll from the ancient one, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb and began to sing:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and blessing.” Then all creatures in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea joined in singing: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.” Rev 5: 1-14.
The True G.O.A.T is the lamb of God. The Lamb of God is no other than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. He is here today, by the power of his Holy Spirit. He is putting the same challenge before us that he put before the Pharisees and the unbelieving crowd two thousand years ago.
How would you respond to Him? Would you, like the Pharisees, though they had seen all the miracles but did not accept him as their Messiah? Or like the Ninevites who repented of their sins upon hearing the message of Jonah? Jesus, the greatest of all time is beckoning you to open up your heart and accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Let’s repent. Let’s bow our knees. And with our tongues worship Him, for he alone deserves our worship. Amen!
