More and more crowds flocked to Jesus, hoping to see him perform a miracle. Jesus grew frustrated that the crowds wanted spectacle rather than preaching, and said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.” (Luke 11:29b-30) What is Jesus referring to? When most people hear the name Jonah, they think of his time inside a “great fish.” But the point of the story of Jonah isn’t the mode of transportation that got him to the city of Ninevah, but rather the message that he brought to the residents. It was a message to turn away from sin and death, and turn towards the one true God. Jesus did perform miraculous signs – but always in order to bring help or healing or release from bondage to infirmity. He said that his main mission was to bring the gospel – the good news of God’s love and desire for relationship with his children.