The Sign of Jonah

For some higher criticism scholars, Jesus could not have preached love and forgiveness for the Gentiles, for Romans and Greeks, because he was a Torah-believing Jew who believed in the vengeful God of Elijah.

According to the New Testament canon, Jesus was seen post-resurrection by at most 500 people at one time.  His resurrection does not have near the direct publicity that the Gospel of John attributes to Lazarus.  Why is Jesus so shy of publicity?  Why not show the world?

After saying that an evil generation seeks a sign, Jesus claims that the sign that will be afforded his generation is the sign of the prophet Jonah.   I think most people focus on the obvious connection between Jonah's days and nights in the belly of the whale and the Son of Man's days and nights in the "belly of the earth."  But consider, Jonah's miraculous delivery from death at sea and from being swallowed whole takes place far, far away from the people of Nineveh.  When Jonah preaches to the Gentiles, the only sign is that it would have taken three days and nights in a whale to make a Jew travel to the heart of the enemy and deliver an opportunity at redemption.  Jonah, like a good Torah-believing Jew will set up camp on a hill watching for the certain destruction of Nineveh, and will reprove God when the Ninevans repent:  I was afraid from the beginning that this would happen because of Who You Are.

What then is the sign of the prophet Jonah?

Overlooking Nineveh, Jonah waits above for divine retribution.