In Matthew chapter 12, Jesus makes three HUGE statements about himself that would have rattled his hearers to the core (especially his Jewish audience). These statements should shake us up today, as well. What are they?
Matthew 12:6 – “I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.”
What was the temple? The temple is where Jews would go to make sacrifices, worship, and to communicate with God. For centuries, the temple had been the very dwelling place of God. And Jesus is saying that something greater than the temple had arrived. R.T. France writes that “it is hard to overestimate the shock value of this pronouncement.” Jesus declared that his presence was greater than the temple. What could be greater than the place where sacrifices are made for sin? Jesus, God come to earth, to be man’s ultimate sacrifice for sin.
2) Matthew 12:41 – “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.”
Jonah was one of God’s prophets. The prophets in the Old Testament were tasked by God to speak on his behalf. When fulfilling their prophetic duties, the Prophets were speaking the very words of God. When God used Jonah to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh, the entire city went into a state of repentance for their disobedience to God. But Jesus declared that “something greater than Jonah is here.” What could be greater than a man who speaks the very words of God? Jesus, God come to earth as man, who would himself preach repentance to the world.
3) Matthew 12:42 – “The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”
Here Jesus is referring to the account found in 1 Kings 10 where the Queen of Sheba embarked on a “fact finding mission” to see if Solomon lived up to his reputation. In 1 Kings 3 we read that God blessed Solomon with more wisdom and discernment than anyone who lived before or after him. Solomon’s fame was known throughout the world and the Queen came to Solomon loaded with her toughest questions. In 1 Kings 10:6 we see that the Queen was blown away by Solomon’s wisdom and stated that everything she had heard about him was true. So when Jesus states in Matthew 12 that “something greater than Solomon is here”, what is he saying? That the wisest king who had ever lived was still lesser than he. The wisdom of God had descended upon the earth in Jesus, the King of Kings.
In Matthew 12 we see Jesus’ claims of being the Ultimate Priest, Prophet, and King. We should worship him as such! Jesus was not some self-help guru who wanted to tell people how to feel great about themselves. He was the Sacrifice made for the sin of the world. He was the very words of God living among us. His wisdom dwarfs the wisest of all men. And he lives today! So why do we use him as if he serves our needs? We worship HIM! We serve HIM! Something greater than us is here!
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