the sign

Matthew 12:38-45

The key words in this passage: sign, greater than, this generation, judgement, condemn. Jesus draws from two OT stories: that of Nineveh who repented at the preaching of Jonah and that of the Queen of Sheba who was so taken by Solomon. Jesus' point: that the response of these people to Jonah and Solomon will condemn the present generation because Jesus is greater than they are and the present generation is not responding to him.
Jesus also includes a parable about an evil spirit being driven out of a person but returning to find that person's soul clean but empty so the evil spirit invites others to join him in that person's soul. At first reading it seems like this is a warning to the individual - it's not enough just to get rid of evil but you must replace it with good or, by implication, the Holy Spirit. However, Jesus makes the applicational point at the end of the parable: That is how it will be with this wicked generation. This ties back to the previous paragraph (Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba rising to condemn the present generation), indicating that the warning of the parable is meant for a generation, not just the individual.
So, what is Jesus talking about? The one thing that he continually blasts the religious leaders for is the emptiness of their religion. Perhaps he is warning the whole generation that if all they do is look after the externals that eventually the internal will rot and their spiritual condition will become worse. The Pharisees were so pre-occupied with evil that they never really pursued what was good. They were defined more by what they stood against than by what they stood for and perhaps Jesus is warning them that, while it is good to get rid of evil, the focus must be on the pursuit of what is good - bring to mind Jesus' statement in his sermon on the mountain: seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness. It's not just about not doing bad but pursuing good.
Thoughts?