Matthew 12:38-45 Worse Than Idolatry

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth...."Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.  Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.  Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation." [Matthew 12:38‭-‬45 NASB]

 The first thing to notice about this passage is the context. Jesus had just cast a demon out of a blind and mute man, so that he was able to both see and hear. The Pharisees not only saw this miracle, they condemned it as an act of the devil. So when they asked Jesus for a sign, it was clearly for the purpose of antagonizing Him. Essentially, what they were saying is, "we see the miracles, now show us a sign that these miracles are really from God."

This was a logic trap. If Jesus gave them a sign, such as calling lightning and thunder out of a clear blue sky, then they could continue accuse Him of sorcery and grandstanding. By doing nothing they could accuse Him of being a charlatan and a false prophet.

Jesus responded by calling them, "an evil and adulterous generation". Jesus is addressing the Pharisees, but he is also speaking to the entire nation of Israel. Keep in mind that only a handful of Jews (a remnant) followed Jesus. The nation as a whole followed the direction of its leaders and rejected Him. This was in spite of all of the miracles He performed, and even though thousands came out to hear Him speak, they did not ultimately become followers. Even so, God has never rejected Israel, but has always maintained a remnant. (Romans 11:1,5)

The only sign that Jesus promised was "the sign of Jonah." The book of Jonah prophetically represents the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

After this, Jesus uses a parable to describe the generation of unbelievers. A demon is driven out and later returns to find the house (person) empty. Then He says, "and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."

A reading through the Old Testament shows that Israel as a nation was, more often than not, idolatrous and rebellious. In order to purify the nation, God allowed them to be conquered and taken into foreign lands. After 70 years of exile, He brought Israel home again.

Through the parable of the demon, Jesus is telling the Jews that they were in a worse state than when they were openly idolatrous. It is true that the Jews didn't have idols, or bow down to images. Instead they had an empty religion in the name of God. Through their pride and tradition, they profaned the name of God. By their false practices, they made Yahweh Himself an idol, because they worshiped their own image of what they thought God should be rather than God as He revealed Himself. They turned God into a caricature.

There are many Christian religions in the world. They each have their own idea of what God should be, and believe different things about His actions, words or character.

For example, some believe in a strict, legalistic God who is ready to punish any offense, while others believe in a God of love and grace. Some believe that once you are saved, your salvation is eternally guaranteed no matter what you do, while others believe you can fall out of His grace.

These varying beliefs contradict one another, all in the name in Christ. It is important that you know who God truly is. Don't just continue to repeat what you have been told, but study the Bible for yourself to know what it says about God. Know why you believe what you believe. Spend time with Him in prayer. Not just a morning or evening devotional or a recitation of prayers, but actually spend quality time talking with God, and getting to know Him.

Don't be like that generation who have built an image of God in your mind, and by worshiping a false image of God in the name of Jesus, find yourself worse off than the pagans who bow down to idols.