Grace and Space

Lk 11:29-32
Sign of Jonah: This section of Luke’s Gospel is part of the unified treatment of material concerning Jesus as an exorcist. It functions as the first and second parts of a three-part answer to the request “for a sign from heaven” (11:16).
In the first part of the answer that confirms that Jesus’ action as exorcist is by God’s authority is the “sign of Jonah” (v 29). At the preaching of Jonah the people of Nineveh repented. The sign of Jesus’ authority, then, is his prophetic call to repentance; he is the one greater than Jonah.
The second part of the answer involves mention of “the queen of the south,” who, along with the men of Nineveh, represents the Gentiles. She is held up as an example of one who made the correct response to the wisdom of Solomon, as the Ninevites responded to the preaching of Jonah. Israel continues to fail to make the proper response to one greater than Solomon and Jonah—Jesus whose ministry is filled with the Father’s gift of the Holy Spirit.
The idea of Gentiles witnessing against Jews at the judgment is contrary to Jewish belief. As typical of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel, the usual is reversed. Jesus’ second-part answer to the demand for a sign of his authority is to declare that Gentiles respond to the call to repentance better than do the Jews.
The person who wants to know whether or not Jesus acts on God’s authority in his exorcisms must first hear his call to repentance. Repentance, then, enables a person to recognize in Jesus, the Son of Man, the presence of God’s kingdom which conquers the demonic. This is the sign to this generation.