And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
when.
Luke 12:1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Luke 14:25,26 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, …
This is.
Luke 11:50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
Luke 9:41 And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.
Isaiah 57:3,4 But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore…
they.
Matthew 12:38,39 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee…
Matthew 16:1-4 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven…
Mark 8:11,12 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him…
Jesus said,
Jesus often used these moments of large gatherings to teach important spiritual truths. His words here are authoritative, reflecting His role as a teacher and prophet. The direct address to the crowd underscores the importance of the message He is about to deliver.
“This is a wicked generation.
Jesus' declaration of the generation as "wicked" highlights the moral and spiritual corruption prevalent among the people. This echoes the Old Testament prophets who often called out the unfaithfulness of Israel (e.g., Jeremiah 7:28). The term "generation" refers not just to a specific age group but to the collective mindset and spiritual state of the people at that time.
It demands a sign,
The demand for a sign indicates a lack of faith and a desire for proof beyond Jesus' teachings and previous miracles. This reflects a common attitude among the religious leaders and many in the crowd who were skeptical of Jesus' claims. In biblical context, demanding a sign often signifies unbelief and a hardened heart, as seen in the Israelites' repeated testing of God in the wilderness (Exodus 17:7).
but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.
The "sign of Jonah" refers to the prophet Jonah's experience in the belly of the great fish for three days and nights, which Jesus uses as a typology for His own death, burial, and resurrection (Matthew 12:40). Jonah's eventual emergence and his message to Nineveh serve as a foreshadowing of Jesus' resurrection and the call to repentance. This sign is both a prophetic fulfillment and a call to recognize Jesus' authority and divinity.
“Now when the crowds were gathering together...” (Luke 11:29)
• Jesus’ popularity is soaring after casting out a demon (Luke 11:14).
• Yet swelling numbers do not equal true faith; crowds often sought spectacle rather than surrender (John 6:26).
• Similar moments appear in Mark 3:7-8 and Luke 12:1, where large gatherings become a backdrop for heart-searching words.
“…He began to say…” (Luke 11:29)
• The Lord never lets surface enthusiasm distract Him; He speaks directly, authoritatively (Mark 1:22).
• His words cut through noise and expose motives (Hebrews 4:12).
• Addressing the entire throng, He treats every listener as personally responsible for their response.
“ ‘This is a wicked generation…’ ” (Luke 11:29)
• “Wicked” highlights moral corruption and spiritual obstinacy, echoing Deuteronomy 32:5 and Philippians 2:15.
• In Matthew’s parallel, He adds “adulterous” (Matthew 12:39), indicting covenant unfaithfulness.
• The problem is not lack of evidence but hardened hearts (Luke 11:15-16; Romans 1:21).
“ ‘…It demands a sign…’ ” (Luke 11:29)
• The crowd wants a greater miracle on demand—proof on their terms (John 2:18; Matthew 16:1).
• Miracles already abounded (Luke 7:22), but unbelief always asks for “one more.”
• Sign-seeking can mask refusal to submit; faith built on demands is not faith at all (Hebrews 11:6).
“ ‘…but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.’ ” (Luke 11:29)
• Jonah spent “three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish” (Jonah 1:17), foreshadowing Christ’s burial and resurrection (Matthew 12:40; Luke 24:46).
• The ultimate sign is the empty tomb—historical, decisive, sufficient.
• As Nineveh repented at Jonah’s preaching (Jonah 3:5), so must this generation repent at the gospel (Acts 17:30-31).
• Refusing the resurrection leaves no further proof forthcoming (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Luke 11:29 exposes a crowd dazzled by miracles yet resistant to repentant faith. Jesus brands such people “wicked” because they make belief conditional upon ever-new signs. He promises only one undeniable proof: His death, burial, and resurrection—the “sign of Jonah.” The passage calls every listener to stop bargaining with God, accept the risen Christ, and turn from sin while evidence still rings from the empty tomb.
(29-32) This is an evil generation: they seek a sign.--See Notes on Matthew 12:38-42. The words here spoken are clearly an answer to the demand for a sign in Luke 11:16. In St. Matthew the demand and the answer appear in close sequence.The variations in St. Luke are (1) the omission of the explanation of the manner in which the sign of the prophet Jonah was to be fulfilled by the three days and three nights in the heart of the earth; (2) the position of the reference to the queen of the south, as coming between the sign of Jonah and the rising of the men of Nineveh. In other respects the agreement is more than usually complete.
Verses 29, 30. - And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. Jesus now proceeds - the crowd was, we read, become denser - to reply to the unbelieving suggestion that he should show by a sign from heaven that it was not by the help of Satan and the powers of hell that he was enabled to exercise so mighty a power over the spirits of evil. No sign of the startling nature demanded would be given to the Jews of his day. Evidence in support of his high claims and lofty assertions was then in process of being supplied. What were their eyes beholding day by day, and their ears hearing? Evidence still more complete would vet be given them, but it would avail nothing! Lo, the solemn sign of the Prophet Jonas, who preached to wicked Nineveh after his strange resurrection - that would be given them. It is clear that St. Luke's account of our Lord's words is abbreviated. To make the symbolism of the resurrection-sign complete, we must compare St. Matthew's report (Matthew 12:39, 40), where in plain terms the Lord's death, and the resting in the tomb, and subsequent resurrection is foretold, and compared to the well-known story of the entombment of Jonah at sea for three days. This simile of the Master's was no doubt one repeated on several occasions. It is likely enough that it was so well-known a comparison when St. Luke wrote his memoir of the life that the evangelist felt it was not needful to go into all the details of the comparison; to mention the simile was enough; no Christian individual, household, or congregation but could at once fill up the details originally spoken by the Lord here. In the catacombs the Jonah-story is, owing to its use by our Lord, an oft-repeated and very favourite representation on those long galleries of tombs of Christian men and women of the first three centuries.