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Explanation for:
Matthew
16
:
4
A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign: and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. And he left them, and went away.
10
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"After addressing the scribes and Pharisees, to whom He remarked, “The wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign is given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet,” He crossed directly over the divide and journeyed to the Gentile nations. The significance of the sign of Jonah the prophet has already been explained earlier."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Consider the calloused nature of the hearts of the Jewish people. When they were informed that no sign would be offered to them apart from the sign of Jonah the prophet, they did not inquire further. Despite their awareness of Jonah's history and the events that surrounded him, coupled with Christ’s reiteration of it, they failed to seek clarification and understanding. I have noted that their requests for signs stem not from a true desire for knowledge. It is for this reason that Christ chose to depart from them."},{"author-name":"Hilarius of Poitiers","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88cb92f12b3278598f946_Hilarius%20of%20Poitiers.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"He descended from heaven and provided them with a tangible reminder to keep them aware of their own corporeal humility; therefore, He refers to it as the sign of Jonah. The Lord likens Himself in outward form to that messenger He previously sent to Nineveh to proclaim the call to repentance in anticipation of the coming Tribulation. Jonah was cast overboard by a fierce storm and swallowed by a great fish, and after three days, he was brought back to life - the creature could not retain him. He did not become sustenance, but in a manner beyond normal human experience, he emerged unscathed into the fresh air. He served as a foreshadowing of the Lord. Thus, the Lord demonstrated that this sign of His divine authority was established by God and proclaimed the remission of sins through repentance. For soon, He would be cast out of Jerusalem by the turmoil of unclean spirits and the authority of Pontius Pilate."},{"author-name":"Chromatius of Aquileia","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88a3df6d7a747a33b4f4a_Chromatius%20of%20Aquileia.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":5,"exegesis-text":"Just as the great fish could not break down Jonah within its depths nor sustain him for an extended period, likewise, the all-consuming death, while certainly confronting the Lord, ultimately could not retain Him in a state of lifelessness. On the third day, it released Him, reminiscent of how the fish expelled Jonah. For death, which is perpetually accustomed to consuming the deceased, was overwhelmed and could not contain the Lord in His living form. It was unable to assimilate Him, for He was a foundation stone, as the apostle states, “But the stone was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4). The fish swallowed and released only Jonah; however, in seizing the Lord, death let loose not only Him but also many others alongside Him. It is recorded that many bodies of saints were raised in conjunction with the Lord."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"The wicked generation, by challenging Him, and the faithless ones, by forsaking God to follow the devil, present a dire scenario. They seek a miraculous sign from the heavens; however, He grants them no sign except for the sign of Jonah. This signifies that after three days spent in the depths of the sea creature—representing death—He would rise again. It can be asserted that this sign originates from heaven, for at the moment of His crucifixion, the sun was obscured and all of creation was altered. The objection remains, “no sign shall be given unto him but the sign of Jonah the prophet.” Signs were indeed provided for their benefit, yet the Jews rejected them. Consequently, the Lord, recognizing their obstinacy, chose to depart from them."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"A corrupt and unfaithful generation seeks a miraculous sign, but no sign will be granted except for the sign of Jonah the prophet. The same message is reiterated and clarified in the twelfth chapter. Note their obstinacy: despite their awareness of Jonah and the hearing of these words both in the past and present, they show no desire to ask for the meaning of this miracle he refers to; instead, they only put Him to the test, as stated. Consequently, He left them and went away. After departing from them, as recorded in Mark, He reentered the boat and journeyed to the other side."},{"author-name":"Ignatij (Briantchaninow)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ce37597540c9caa5df5_Ignatij%20(Briantchaninow).png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The implication of this is that when the Pharisees and Sadducees sought a sign from the Lord, they were essentially asking for a miracle reminiscent of those attributed to Antichrist. Their demand for such a miracle elucidates the Lord's response. On one occasion, when faced with this request, the God-Man expressed profound sorrow, resolutely declined to fulfill their demand, showed no desire to stay among those who made such requests, and distanced Himself from them. At another point, He issued a stern proclamation: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet” (Matthew 16:1, 4; Matthew 12:38-42). Those who sought a sign due to their shared spirit are termed a generation; they are labeled an adulterous generation for having allied their spirit with Satan, thereby breaking their communion with God. They are also referred to as a wicked generation because, despite being aware of the miracles performed by the God-Man, they feigned ignorance, belittling and blaspheming those divine acts while demanding a miracle that catered to their dismal state of mind. Their request for a heavenly sign was less an earnest plea for a miracle and more a scornful taunt, reflecting a misguided and erroneous understanding of what miracles represent. The signs of Jonah, as interpreted by the Savior Himself (Matthew 12:40), were linked to His death and resurrection. It was then that a true sign from heaven was provided: the sun, witnessing the Lord's crucifixion, darkened at midday, and a profound darkness enveloped the land for three hours. The temple's veil was torn in two from top to bottom; an earthquake shook the ground; tombs were opened, and many holy ones were raised, appearing to numerous people in the holy city (Luke 23:45; Matthew 27:45, 51-53). At the very moment of the Lord's resurrection, another earthquake occurred; a radiant angel descended from heaven to the Lord's tomb, serving as a testament to His resurrection, instilling fear in the guards stationed there by those who sought a sign from heaven (Matthew 28:2-4). The guards informed the Jewish Sanhedrin of the Lord's resurrection. However, upon receiving this heavenly sign, they not only showed contempt and animosity towards it—just as they had towards the prior miracles of the God-Man—but also bribed the guards to conceal the divine miracle with falsehood (Matthew 28:11-15)."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"“Wicked generation,” etc.: refer to note on Matt. 12:38-40. - “He abandoned them and went away”: a straightforward and vivid depiction of Christ’s righteous anger toward the hypocrites who provoked Him (see Matt. 21:17)."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"A DECEITFUL AND AFFECTIONATE KIND, a generation of pretenders and betrayers of God, DESIRING SIGNS, AND NO SIGN WILL BE GIVEN TO THEM EXCEPT THE SIGN OF JONAH THE PROPHET. Had the adversaries of the Lord truly sought the truth, they would have inquired about the meaning of this reference to Jonah the prophet; however, they deemed it unnecessary to seek clarification. Consequently, forsaking them, as the Gadarene had once abandoned those who had rejected Him, He departed once more, filled with sorrow, back to the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee, from which He had recently come."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"In Matthew 12:39-40, we observe the surprising moment when Jesus departed with His disciples in a boat to cross to the opposite shore of the lake. Not wishing to prolong His discussion with the false teachers or remain with them any longer, Jesus, after briefly exiting the boat, re-entered it with His apostles and journeyed across the lake."}]}
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