12/06/2007
Matthew 16:1 - 4 (HCSB)
1The £Pharisees and £Sadducees approached,£ and as a test, asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.£
2He answered them: “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be good weather because the sky is red.’ 3And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ You£ know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times.£ 4An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of£ Jonah.”£ Then He left them and went away.
I remember in my youth talking to some friends about God. And I recall at least one of them saying: “If there is a God why doesn’t he give us a sign?” Indeed, this was the same question the Pharisees asked Jesus. But what I have learned is that people who have no intention of surrendering to God will come up with a laundry list of reasons why they don’t believe. They demand a “sign” or argue trivial points to justify their disbelief.
The Pharisees in particular were pushing their luck. As I read the chapters and verses leading up to this event, what I see is that thousands of people thronged to Jesus because of the word-of-mouth stories of how He healed the sick and of His astounding wisdom and authority. There is no doubt that the Pharisees had heard all of this, and most likely, they had been witness to it themselves. So the question becomes, why did they then demand a sign?
Let us examine Jesus’ response to this. First He points out that they can look at the sky and predict the coming weather. If they can see the signs of the weather in the sky, how can they be so dull as not to see the signs of the Messiah? Second, He calls them evil and adulterous: they have demanded a sign simply to challenge Him. God will not be coerced and when given this type of challenge will not respond to it.
Remember that when John the Baptist’s followers came and asked Jesus “Are you the one or are we to seek another?” Jesus responded with, “What have you seen? The lame walk, the mute speak.” Jesus answered these followers differently than the Pharisees because their quest was sincere, and His answer was that the things He had done should speak for themselves.
The Pharisees had plenty of evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. The fact that they demanded a sign demonstrated their hard hearts and for this, no sign would be given. If they could not recognize the signs already given, then another would not satisfy them.
Are you like the Pharisees? Are you demanding yet another sign? Or are you like the followers who want to be sure you are in the presence of Jesus?
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
©2007 Cleff Publishing, all rights reserved.
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