Something Greater

The Word of God from beginning to end does a wonderful job to point the reader to the holy trinity: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. God designed? I think so. We are meant to see the presence of God in the wilderness years, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the crucifixion, and the gospel spread through the early church. And everything in between. The repeated phrase “something greater” in Matthew 12 drew me in to pay attention. I like how Jesus repeats Himself. It is almost like Jesus thinks I will forget or read over something important. He knows me so well.

The first time Jesus says “something greater” is back in verse 6 when Jesus corrects the Pharisees after they point out Jesus violates the Law by eating heads of grain on the Sabbath. Briefly, I want to look at the last part of Matthew 12 when Jesus repeats the phrase two more times. The Pharisees are on a mission to poke holes in everything Jesus says to somehow “defeat” Jesus so that others will not follow Jesus and believe He is the Son of God here to save the world. In the most prideful way, the Pharisees ask Jesus for a sign in verse 38. I read the verse to say, “try to impress us.” They speak with hardened hearts not open to Jesus as the Messiah. What unfolds next is good and scary at the same time. Let me explain what I mean.

Jonah is the prophet God uses to turn Nineveh away from their evil ways, repent, and follow God. It is through Jonah (who tries to run away at first) that God shows great compassion on Nineveh (Jonah 3:10). Next, King Solomon is remembered forever for his great wealth and wisdom. Can we imagine to what degree of greatness? Read 1 Kings 10:1-7. Skeptical Queen Sheba journeys to visit King Solomon to behold for herself and decide whether the rumors are true. She is speechless. The greatness of King Solomon takes her breath away. The good news Jesus explains in Matthew 12:38-42 is that He is greater than both Jonah and Solomon. The great kings and prophets in history that the Pharisees spend years studying were created to point them to the supreme Prophet and King: the Holy One of Israel, the Messiah, the King of Kings. This is the good part.

Now, what is the scary part? The Pharisees did not believe. Jesus says twice, “rise up and condemn” to describe the way Nineveh and Queen Sheba would respond to the disbelief of the Pharisees. They had a foretaste of the compassion, wisdom, and love of God through Jonah and Solomon. How did they respond? Nineveh and Queen Sheba believed. They fell on their face and worshipped Yahweh, the God of Israel. As I read the passage more, what breaks my heart so deeply is the Pharisees dismiss Jesus, the Son of God, standing in front of them. Jesus walks the streets with them. Jesus worships in the temple with them. And how do the Pharisees respond? They esteem and worship Jonah and Solomon greater than Jesus. The objects of their worship were created to point the Pharisees to Jesus.

The scary part is I can get wrapped up in the same thing. I will miss Jesus when I hold onto pride or things of lesser value like the Pharisees. Jesus has nothing to prove. His work is finished. All things are created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:15-20). I do not want to miss out on the “something greater” which is Jesus. It is time to lay down pride, relationships, comfort, or other hindrances that stand in the way and give full attention and adoration to the Holy One of Israel, the Messiah, the King of Kings.

Q: Do you believe Jesus is the something greater in your life? If not, what things do you value greater and why? My prayer is you lay them down to worship Jesus in a more meaningful way.

Additional Reading: Haggai 2:1-10