Mattew 16:1-4
The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign form heaven. He replied, When evening comes, you say, "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red, and in the morning, "Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. Jesus then left them and went away.
And If you didn't know who Jonah was the story of him is right before Micah in the Old Testament.
To give a summary of Jonah. He was a young man who flees from the Lord. The Lord came to Jonah and told him to go to the city of Nineveh and preach against the city because if was full of wicked people. But Jonah did not obey the Lord and boarded a boat to flee to Tarshish. As the boat sailed the Lord, which was angered by Jonah actions, began a storm on the water, a violent storm. Everyone on deck was afraid and cried out to their own god but it didn't stop the storm. The captian then went down to the below deck and awoke Jonah who had fell asleep to pray to his god to stop the storm. Then the shipmates casted a lot to see who the cause of this and the lot landed by Jonah. He then confessed to the blame and told them to throw him into the sea and everything will stop. The Lord then bought a big fish to swallow him whole. Inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord to forgive him and if he did Jonah will obey the Lord wishes. When he gets out Jonah goes to the city of Nineveh and he preached the word of the Lord. The people of Nineveh hearing begin to turn from their evil ways and God forgave them. But Jonah grew angery at the Lord for forgiving Nineveh and not doing what he said he would and wanted to die. Lord then asked him did he have any right to be angery? Jonah went and sat to rest. God made a vine grow over his head to shade him from the heat. He was happy then but the Lord then proviede a worm, that chewed up the vine so it did not proceted Jonah anymore. Jonah again wanted to die. God asked Do you have a right to be angry about the vine? Jonah said yes and im angry enought ot die. But the Lord replyed you have been concerned about this vine, thought you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?
But what I took from the two passages is Jonah is like alot of people in our generation today. We are always looking for a sign of what to do next. We want a sign of when the world will end so we can get right then and still do what we are doing now. Jonah is just like a typical person of the world today. We hear God but don't want to obey him. So he gets angry with us, put us though what feels like hell on earth, ask for his forgiveness, praise for pulling us though, then go back to what we was doing before and don't praise him again till we go back though something else. God is a forgiving God, never doubt that, but why take his kindness for granted? God can't help you if your not willing to help yourself. Just like Jonah and the vine. God created a vine to cover him so he would feel better and be happy. But then a worm came and the vine writhed away. But just tlike God said if Jonah would have tended to the vine and made it grow he would had continue to be happy and protected. But he did not so he again had the sun scorch him. But that is all God is trying to say. Praise him when you are going though as well as when you are not and you will always be happy. You have to meet God halfway because he is not just going to do it alone.
Back to not giving a sign. There will be no sign when the end will come. Only thing we can do is the read the bible, try to follow the propchies in the bible and hope for the best. Pray that Jesus will proctect us though those trying times.
