I'm sure that the scribes and Pharisees had no idea what Jesus was saying to them. By the time Matthew was writing his Gospel, the symbolism was obvious.
Do we want a sign from God that we should follow Jesus? It seems that we have already been given one – the resurrection!
I am so grateful that we know about the resurrection. We would still be saved by Jesus death, but how would we know about him and his teachings, as well as our salvation and the promise of eternal life, if we didn't know about the resurrection.
Have you ever wondered what the world would be like if Jesus had not risen from the dead and appeared to his followers? Who would have ruled the world? Would Rome have maintained its dominance? Would there have been enough periods of peace to promote exploration?
We don't have a clue! And the rest of what we don't know is whether we would live with hope for a better world or would we think that this is all there is.
Because of the resurrection, we know that we are saved and that we are called to live a life of love and hope knowing that a place of eternal happiness has been prepared for us.
We have a reason to do the right thing and work for justice because this is NOT all there is and we don't need to have it all now in order to be happy.
If anyone asks us for a sign as to why anyone should believe in Jesus, we can also point to the sign of Jonah – the resurrection from the dead which we too will enjoy one day.
