Anchor My Faith

Jesus Is the Greatest

Scripture: Matthew 12:41-42

In the previous lesson some of the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus to perform a miracle to demonstrate that his power was from God and not from the devil. Jesus refused and instead pointed them to Jonah and explained that just as he was three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish, so he would spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth and would then return. In this lesson we will compare the response of those in Nineveh to the preaching of Jonah to the response of those listening to Jesus, especially the scribes and Pharisees.

^{Mt 12:41} “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. ⁴² The queen of the South will rise up 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.”

The words of Jesus affirm the story of Jonah and verifies that he finally did go to Nineveh and preached to them the need to repent of their sin. “And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them” (Jonah 3:5 ESV). As a result, when the time of a future judgment comes and they are judged along with the generation Jesus is speaking to, they will be judged less harshly.

Jesus then gives a second illustration and refers to the queen of the South who was the queen of Sheba of 1 Kings 10:1 – 29. “Sheba was most likely the home of the Sabaeans in southwestern Arabia, in present-day Yemen” (notes for Matthew 12:42, p. 1846, ESV Study Bible). Coming from the ends of the earth means that she came from a remote country. She heard of the wisdom of Solomon and came a great distance to hear for herself, but the Jews of that age would not listen to the wisdom of one “greater” than Solomon, though present with them.

In Matthew 12:6, Jesus claimed to be greater than the temple, greater than the prophet Jonah (v41), and greater than the wise king Solomon (v41). He is thus elevating himself and his message of the kingdom to be greater than, and the fulfillment of, the three greatest institutions in Israel; the institutions of priest, prophet and king.

In the Old Testament priests served as mediators between humans and God, and they offered sacrifices on behalf of the people. Jesus is our Mediator and our High Priest: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5 ESV).

In the Old Testament prophets were tasked with speaking God’s word to the people. This included both proclaiming God’s truth to others and revealing God’s plans for the future. Some of these prophets also performed miracles and healings. Jesus taught the word of God with authority, often in parables (Mark 1:22). Jesus foretold the future by speaking of the betrayal of Judas, Peter’s denial, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the persecution of his followers, the destruction of the temple, his pending death and resurrection, and his future return.

In the Old Testament the king was well illustrated by David, who was referred to by God as a man after his own heart. The promise made in 2 Samuel 7:16 ESV: “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” was fulfilled in the Messiah, who was also called the “Son of David.” The Son of God came to earth as Jesus the Son of David the rightful king.

Conclusion

There is no one greater than Jesus, who came to be our great high priest, prophet and king. Jesus is one of a kind because he is the only beloved Son of God. “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12 ESV). Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 ESV).