Jesus commented on people who came to Him because they were "looking for a sign". They would only be given 'the sign of Jonah', He said, explaining that just as Jonah became a sign for the people of Nineveh, He Himself would be a sign for the people of His generation. But, in the biblical story, the people of Nineveh actually listened and paid attention to the warnings of Jonah, and changed their evil ways because they came to believe that Jonah was indeed God's messenger to them.

And Jesus? Despite all He said and did, His healing and encouragement and teaching, His being "something greater than Jonah", He suggests that His hearers are not really listening. People today, too, are looking for signs and the signs of Jonah and of the 'Queen of the South' and of Jesus are still with us, unseen, unrecognised or ignored by many. Jonah's message was that the people had 40 days in which to repent and change their ways. Since Jesus spoke His words, the world has endured 2000 years, and each of us the span of our own lifetimes. Can we say we've really recognised His sign, listened to His words? We have these annual 40 days of Lent as reminder and encouragement to do what the people of Nineveh did, to open our eyes and ears and hearts, and to change.