In the New Testament, Jesus often used parables and metaphors to convey important spiritual truths to his disciples and listeners. In Matthew 12:38-42 and Luke 11:29-32, Jesus compares the days of Jonah and Sodom to the present time to emphasise the need for repentance and the coming judgment.
In the Gospel of Matthew, the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign, and he replied, \”An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah\” (Matthew 12:39). Jesus goes on to explain that just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights before he rises from the dead.
However, Jesus also uses the story of Jonah to rebuke the people of his time. He says, \”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\” (Matthew 12:41). Jesus is saying that the people of Nineveh, who repented at the preaching of Jonah, will be judged more favourably than the people of Jesus\’ generation who refuse to repent even though they have heard something greater than Jonah.
In Luke\’s account, Jesus compares the present generation to the people of Sodom, saying, \”Just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulphur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed\” (Luke 17:28-30).
Jesus is saying that just as the people of Sodom were living their lives as usual, oblivious to the coming destruction, so too are the people of his time ignoring the coming judgment. He goes on to warn his disciples to be ready for the coming of the Son of Man, saying, \”Remember Lot\’s wife. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it\” (Luke 17:32-33).
In both of these comparisons, Jesus is emphasising the need for repentance and the coming judgment. He is saying that just as the people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah, so too must the people of his generation repent at the preaching of Jesus. And just as the people of Sodom were caught unawares by the coming destruction, so too will the people of Jesus\’ time be caught unawares by the coming judgment.
Overall, Jesus\’ comparison of the days of Jonah and Sodom to the present time serves as a warning to his listeners to be ready for the coming judgment and to repent of their sins. It also emphasises the importance of listening to the message of Jesus and responding to it with repentance and faith.
These Scripture quotations, and many others like them, emphasise the uncertainty of the timing of Jesus\’ return and the need to be prepared for it at all times. They also emphasise the importance of repentance and faith in Jesus as the way to be ready for his coming.
– \”Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect\” (Matthew 24:44).
– \”But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come\” (Mark 13:32-33).
– \”For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation\” (Luke 17:24-25).
– \”The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed\” (2 Peter 3:9-10).