What does Luke 11:32 mean?
Jewish religious leaders have demanded Jesus perform more miracles before they accept Him as their Messiah (Luke 11:16; Matthew 12:38). This is in defiance of Him already fulfilling Messianic prophecies found in their Scriptures (Isaiah 35:5–6; Luke 11:14). Jesus promises them one last sign: formerly pagan Gentiles will hear God's Word, repent of their sins, and worship Him. Prophetically, Jesus mentions the Ninevites who gave up their violent practices when the prophet Jonah warned them of God's coming judgment (Jonah 3). Then, He reminds the Pharisees of the Queen of Sheba who heard Solomon and rightly judged he spoke God's wisdom (1 Kings 10:1–13; Luke 11:29–31).When Jesus was preparing His larger group of disciples to spread the message that the kingdom of God had arrived, He took a moment to lament that predominantly Jewish cities rejected Him. And yet, Gentile cities, if they had equally experienced His miracles, would have accepted Him (Luke 10:13–15). Here, Jesus gives proof that His assertion was valid. There were few cities more wicked than Nineveh. And yet the testimony of a reluctant Jewish prophet sent the entire kingdom to their knees in repentance.
The Ninevites are going to stand before God and declare that these religious leaders deserve hell. Jesus' critics refuse to acknowledge that an itinerant teacher from Nazareth, empowered by the Holy Spirit to perform miracles and teach truth, is the Messiah. The Pharisees and lawyers have all the proof they need in the books of prophecy. Jonah merely survived a fish and then preached for a day; Jesus' works and message are "something greater," and so will be His judgment. Like the Queen of Sheba and the Ninevites, Gentiles all over the world have heard of the Jewish Messiah and worship Him as their Savior.
The queen of the South and the Ninevites saw God's words clearly and allowed those words to bring light into their hearts. Jesus now warns the Pharisees and their lawyers that those who hide the light of God's truth do so because the darkness in their hearts will not let them see (Luke 11:33–36).