“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. 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.” (Matthew 12:41-42)
A few verses before these, Jesus called his audience “an evil and adulterous generation.” What pushed Jesus to use such strong language? The people’s refusal to believe in him, both out of indifference and rebellion.
Signalling their guilt for refusing him, Jesus mentions two Old Testament stories. He said Ninevites, who repented at the preaching of Jonah, and the Queen of the South, who sought out the wisdom of Solomon, would condemn his contemporaries during the day of judgment.
His point in using these illustrations was to contrast the positive gentile responses to God’s lesser servants with his audience’s refusal to believe in him. Think about the contrast: The Ninevites repented as a result of the preaching of Jonah, a reluctant, even rebellious, prophet. The Queen of Sheba travelled a long distance (scholars suggest she was from Ethiopia or Yemen) to hear the wisdom of Solomon, the wisest man who became a great fool. Yet Jesus, the promised Messiah and God in the flesh, doing miracles in their presence, was rejected.
I imagine the day of judgment will be powerful when people are reminded of their hardness of heart that caused them to dismiss one greater than Jonah and Solomon. This causes me to think about my own generation’s hardness of heart. In our day, we have God’s complete revelation in the Bible and mountains of corroborating evidence, yet the majority of our generation is indifferent, at best. What will judgment day look like for this generation?
My heavens, how often am I indifferent? While I don’t believe Christians will be judged in the same way as unbelievers, simply recognizing similarities between them and me should motivate me to be more faithful and responsive to God’s word.
Father, please forgive me for my own indifference. Please use Jesus’ words to motivate me toward greater responsiveness toward you. Amen.
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