Jesus is the Sign: Prove It

July 31, 2022

Luke 11:29-32

²⁹ As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. ³⁰ For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. ³¹ The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. ³² The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.

Read Luke 11:1-29-32

1. From what you read in this passage, why does Jesus refer to the people in His generation as ‘wicked’?
2. Based on your answer to the first question, would you identify our current generation as less wicked, more wicked, or equally wicked than the generation Jesus was talking about? Why?
3. What kinds of signs do you think people today are looking for?
4. How can looking for a sign become a trap for believers?
5. If you haven’t done so recently, read through all 4 chapters of the book of Jonah in the Old Testament.
6. Based on your reading of Jonah, what do you think Jesus meant here in Luke by ‘the sign of Jonah’?
7. 2 Chronicles 9:1-12 recounts the visit that the Queen of Sheba paid to Solomon. What stands out to you in the account of the queen’s visit? How does her story fit into what Jesus is saying here in Luke 11?
8. Based on this passage in Luke 11, what is the appropriate response to a sign that God gives? (Hint: pay special attention to verse 32)