WE have all met at one time or another the sort of person who asks questions, or issues challenges, concerning the Christian faith or the truth of the Bible, in a contentious spirit, or even in a determined spirit of unbelief. This is the sort of thing Jesus experienced frequently from the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
In the case of the Pharisees and Sadducees here in the verses before us it was a case of having plenty of evidence in the life of Jesus - his teaching and his actions - that plainly gave evidence of his unique person and that he was the Messiah, but a total reluctance and disinclination to receive this testimony. For this reason they sought all the time to discredit Jesus, or seek justification for their unbelief by suggesting that he should give some further sign as evidence of his claims. In such seeking for a further sign, the Pharisees and Sadducees hoped that Jesus would not be able to give such a sign, or would say something by which they could condemn him or discredit him.
This invincible unbelief is always present in the world. The Pharisees and Sadducees here were able to interpret the signs in the life of Jesus which demanded belief, but they did not want to accept such signs. They were intelligent men who could interpret the times and understood nature, and were learned in theology. The trouble was not in their understanding, but in their hearts which held an enmity towards the truth of God, which they hid under a cloak of religion and self-righteousness.
The fact was that if they allowed Jesus to convince them, the whole privileged life which they enjoyed would fall apart, and they would lose the way of life and position in life which they prized.
To be like this, or to come to Jesus in a spirit of unbelief in this way, is so tragic. The reason is seen here by the fact that Jesus would not respond to their demands or questions. Jesus simply exposed their hypocrisy, and falseness. They were the losers, because by their rejection of the truth they remained alienated from God, however much they claimed to be in the favour of God. In this way they were journeying to a lost eternity. This is the truth today for all those within the visible church and outside the visible church, who reject the truth with human wisdom and ideas, or because of love of the world. They live in darkness while on this earth, and find themselves in eternal darkness when they die. It is a fact that those who are true believers need to learn from this and pity such people.
This does not mean that a person with honest questions, truly seeking to know the truth, will come to Jesus in vain. Jesus looks into the heart and he can discern whether there is a true seeking of the truth, or whether the questions are bolster for unbelief.
People who behave like the Pharisees and Sadducees in unbelief will have no excuse of the day of judgment. The reason is that all are given the sign of the prophet Jonah which irrefutably testifies to Jesus as both God and Saviour.
The sign of the prophet Jonah is explained in Matthew 12:38ff where Jesus says that the experience of Jonah of death and resurrection in the big fish points to the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus speaks of the sign of Jonah signifying the fact that Jesus died and rose again from the dead on the third day.
The resurrection of Jesus is a sign to all the world. It testifies to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God with power over life and death. It testifies to the fact that he is alive now and for ever. It testifies that he conquered death. It testifies that he conquered Satan and reigns forever. The fact of the resurrection is the momentous event of all history, and all the powers of hell cannot and never will be able to deny its veracity as a fact of history.
At the judgment, when Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead, the resurrection will be the fact on which all unbelief will be condemned. It is the greatest of signs as to the identity of Jesus as both God and Saviour, and to reject this evidence is seen to be the greatest sin of all.
Christ has given such evidence in his resurrection to who he is and his gracious love, that it is the height of evil to reject such evidence and spurn such love.
For the believer we have in the resurrection of Jesus an anchor for the soul which can't be broken, and a foundation which will never let us down. There may be times when our faith is assaulted to such a degree that we do not know how to stand and what to do. At such times we have only to stand on the fact of the resurrection of Jesus. We begin here and build up our faith again from this foundation. From the resurrection we can can be sure our Saviour is God and almighty. From the resurrection we can be sure that he won a victory over sin and Satan which secures for all his faithful people favour with God and a place in his heavenly glory. In the resurrection we have God's testimony that Jesus did pay the price of our sin completely and forever so that there is now no more condemnation for us. So we go on building faith, and in the mercy of God we find ourselves standing on the promises of Christ our Saviour, and in such a stand finding that assurance we crave.