YEAR B: HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 28TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (2)
The people of that time wanted signs and wonders. This was all they were interested in; the gospel of repentance did not appease to them.
YEAR B: HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 28TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
HOMILY THEME: Behold, Something Greater Than Jonah is Here.
BY: Fr. Evaristus Abu
_“This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation.” *Luke 11:29-30.*
Today’s Gospel passage is a direct continuation of our Gospel passage a few days ago. Jesus was responding to those who accused him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub. Jesus began by explaining to them that a kingdom cannot be divided against itself. He then went on to tell them the reason behind the re- possession of a man He had cured of demonic possession; this man had failed to allow God take possession of his heart which had been swept clean and free of demons.
There were some who were not listening to what Jesus was saying, they simply wanted Jesus to prove his authenticity by performing a sign to just settle the case. They were expecting some magical phenomena, some dramatic display or show of power to prove that the rumours being peddled concerning Jesus were false. To these people, Jesus replied: “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Luke 11:29.
Why did Jesus call them evil? What is wrong with asking for a sign; a proof or some evidence in other to believe? After all, isn’t that what scientists do? What was particularly evil in their demand for a sign is that their hearts were hardened already. Even if they had seen signs, they still wouldn’t have believed. I guess you have heard the saying: “Never explain yourself to anyone because your real friends don’t need it and your enemies would never believe you.”
The Centurion who was a stranger to the faith believed Jesus completely even to the point of asking Jesus to only speak the word for his servant would be cured. The centurion’s faith was based simply on what he heard about Jesus. But there were some people who had encountered Jesus several times, people who had seen Jesus perform several healings and wonders yet they were still demanding for a sign.
Jesus would have easily performed one immediately to put the case to rest but He didn’t. Why? That would be falling into the same temptation that satan brought to Him when he took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and said, “show the world that you are Son of God by jumping down from here.” Jesus did not fall into the temptation of using his Divine Powers for self-glorification. Jesus always worked miracles and did signs and wonders for the good of the people in need of such signs and not for his personal glory. This is why he always told them afterwards to “tell no one about it.” Jesus did not perform a sign there and then for this crowd because that would be vain-glory.
Nevertheless, Jesus told them of a sign that would come to them later; the sign of Jonah. It was clear that by the time these people were hearing these words from Jesus, they did not understand what he was saying. Their hearts were hardened already, they were not ready to believe in Jesus even if they had seen signs so all Jesus gave them was a parable. By the sign of Jonah, Jesus was referring to the three days Jonah spent in the belly of the fish which would represent the three days he would spend in the grave.
Dear friends, we are privileged today because we are those who have a hindsight of what Jesus was talking about. What sounded like a parable to that evil generation demanding for a sign is no longer a parable for us. We are those who have witnessed the resurrection of Jesus and seen his Mighty Works. The question now is: Do we still need a sign to believe? Are we still asking for proofs that Jesus is truly the Son of God? Why are our churches today still packed full with people looking for miracles in order to believe that God is real?
If you don’t believe, you would always need God to prove Himself over and over again; you become the evil generation Jesus spoke against. On the other hand, if you truly believe, you would not base your worship of God on the miracles, signs and wonders you receive. If you are truly God’s friend, you would worship Him even when you don’t see any miracle. Friendship is not a matter of proof, it is a matter of trust.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, increase my trust in you that I may never stop believing in you simply because I don’t see signs. Amen. St. Theresa of Avila, Pray for us.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Monday of the 28th week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Galatians 4:22-5:1, Psalm 113:1-7 and Luke 11:29-32).
