The Sign of Jonah

SETTING: Inside the temple in a spacious area, vendors sell sacrificial animals. The arguments with customers are barely heard over the cooing of doves, bleating of lambs, and mooing of cows. The smell greets anyone entering.

JESUS walks in, looks around and watches, then develops a scowl on his face. He walks out, then returns with a scourge made of thick leather strips. The ends of the of the foot long strips had been tied into hard knots. He grimaces as he walks to the nearest vendor who exchanges currencies. He raises his arm to beat the trader with the scourge, which sends the man fleeing. Livestock is chased outside. A crowd gathers to see what is happening. Other sellers flee as Jesus overturns tables and seats of those who sell doves to the poor. Jesus frees the doves and stops to take deep breaths and see the reactions.  

HEAD PHARISEE: (other Pharisees support his position) How dare you do this in the temple of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Stretching arm to where sellers were. Trembles with anger.) Do you see the damage you have done? These merchants provide a necessity: quality sacrificial animals for the Passover. You are hardly over thirty-years-old. How dare you do this to the people without first presenting your case to us!

JESUS: (Glares at Head Pharisee in the eyes. He turns to the rest of the crowd. Then he glares at all the Pharisees.) You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Is this how you show love to God? Your god is greed. It has been the reason you allowed this in here. Isn’t it written, ‘My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer’? But you made it into a den of thieves.

SETTING: On a grassy area near Jerusalem. Pharisees come to see what Jesus is preaching to the people this time.

JESUS: (Sees the Pharisees, but speaks to crowd.) What you have the most of in your heart will come out of your mouth. It is like a treasure chest. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings out good things: a willingness to work, encouragement to his children, mercy for those who have wronged him. An evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things: hurries to take revenge on those who angered him, takes advantage of people to make money, love the uppermost seats in the synagogue and feel pride at being greeted according to their position in life. Pharisees have not set their love on God, as the scriptures command us to.

HEAD PHARISEE: (insulted) We have obeyed all the commandments in the Mosaic law. That shows we love God. We should be praised for that. Now, you are adding to the law by being so specific.

JESUS: Woe to you because you are supposed to be leaders of the people. You claim you are demonstrating how to be righteous. Yes, you pray, but it is long, loud prayers in front of people, not worrying about what God thinks. You thank God for not being like other men who are unjust and adulterers.  Yes, you give God his 10% dues using mint, anise, and cumin. You also hold traditions of men—like the procedure to clean a cup—more important than God’s commandments.

You have omitted the more important commandments. Like judgment for the widow. Or mercy on those who cannot pay up immediately. You do not show faith that God will supply your need. You look all over the place to bring someone to the Judaic faith. Then you demand perfection and pretend to demonstrate perfection in carrying out commandments. That man is then worse off than if he never had been brought to Judaism. You are like white graves: beautiful on the outside and full of dead men’s bones inside.

HEAD PHARISEE: We praise the prophets by building monuments to them. Are you denying our righteousness for keeping clean, not eating pork and catfish, for honoring our fathers’ traditions? Are you suggesting we are like those who killed the prophets? (Justifying himself) If we had been there in the days of our fathers, we would not have shed their blood.

JESUS: There. You testified that you are the children of those who killed the prophets. You are witnesses to yourself for what you have done and will do.

PHARISEES: Why should we believe you? How do we know you are who you say you are? Give us a sign from heaven.

JESUS: (Sighs deeply) Why are you seeking a sign from heaven? Only an evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign. I tell you again what Abraham told Lazarus in hell. “Even if someone rose from the dead to speak to your brothers, they would not hear. Let them read the law and the prophets.” You would probably call a sign coincidence, or find some other reason to not believe it.

In the evening, you say, “The sky is red, so it will be good weather.” And in the morning, you say, “It will be bad weather today because the sky is red, and clouds are low.” O hypocrites, you can tell the difference in the face of the sky; but you can’t recognize the signs of the times.

You will be given no sign, but the sign of Jonah. Just as he was sent to Nineveh to tell God’s judgment for their evil ways, so I am sent to you to speak of judgment on this world’s evil ways.

Like Jonah in the belly of the whale for three days, so I will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 

The Ninevites will rise in judgment to testify that they had to repent because of their sin. If God would not judge this world—including you Pharisees—then it would be unfair to those people who repented. God is a fair God, and will not ignore your sin.