Something Greater Than...

I was reading through Matthew 12 last night and came across a phrase repeated three times - "something greater than...", uttered from the mouth of Jesus to his disbelieving audience. Maybe upon a cursory read, this might not mean much, but upon closer examination, looking through the lens of the Hebrew mind that was steeped in OT language, these statements must have been shocking.

First, Jesus says to the Pharisees, "something greater than the temple is here" (Matt. 12:6), in reference to the priests' ministry in the temple on the Sabbath. He also says that he is "the lord of the Sabbath" (v. 8). A couple things must have come to the Pharisees' mind when he said this -

1. The temple is a symbol of God's indwelling presence with Israel - nothing greater than this exists.
2. The Sabbath is declared holy by the Law, and we are all subservient to the Law.

But Jesus says it. The mystery hidden for ages was being revealed right before their eyes. The "true form" (Hebrews 10:1) that Moses saw upon the mountain was the reality standing before the Pharisees that day. The tent that Moses erected served only as a shadow of what he saw on the mount (Heb. 8:5-6). With reference to the Sabbath, Jesus says that the priests themselves were profaning the temple in their service on the Sabbath, and yet, they were still counted guiltless. What the Pharisees did not see was that Jesus was the true form Moses looked upon - the "reality of the good things to come." As "lord of the Sabbath," he then authoritatively interprets the meaning of the Law concerning the Sabbath to them - to bring about abiding rest. But more particularly, the Sabbath is so associated with Jesus' presence that a chapter earlier, he could tell the crowds, "Come to me...and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). So really, the OT institution of the Sabbath merely anticipated the rest we would experience in repenting and believing in Christ.

Second, Jesus tells some of the scribes and Pharisees that "something greater than Jonah is here" (Matt. 12:41), when asked to provide a sign to them. Jesus retells the high points of Jonah's ministry - three days and nights in the belly of the fish and then, the preaching of repentance to the people of Ninevah. The words of Jesus invoked a feeling that he was similar to the prophet in both the message he preached and the fate he would suffer, but on a much greater magnitude. Jonah served merely as a type - both the message Jesus preached and the death he would die would accomplish more than anyone could ever imagine.

Finally, Jesus says that "something greater than Solomon is here" (Matt. 12:42), in reference to the wisdom with which he claimed to speak. The renowned queen of Sheba journeyed all the way to Jerusalem to hear the legendary wisdom of King Solomon - Jesus says that this queen, having heard the wisdom of Solomon, would rise up to condemn the Pharisees for rejecting someone distinctly greater than Solomon. Maybe when Jesus said this, they might have recalled Proverbs 8:22-31 concerning Lady Wisdom (probably written by Solomon himself). Wisdom is personified by the author, saying, "the LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work...when he established the heavens, I was there...when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him....and I was daily his delight." Yes, someone greater than Solomon is here - Wisdom Incarnate. He was with the Father before the creation of all things, and the Pharisees were confronted with him that day - Jesus Christ, our Lord.

SDG