Mark 8:11-13 "And the Pharisees came
forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven,
tempting him. (12) And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith,
Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no
sign be given unto this generation. (13) And he left them, and
entering into the ship again departed to the other side."
We see the action of the Pharisees in our text today follows their normal path of action. They constantly looked to find fault in Jesus. They would tempt Him with their questions. They would try to trap Him; but invariably, He would turn the question around and trap them with it. Today, we find a different approach in Jesus' response to them. They asked for a sign. He straightway told them, "There shall no sign be given." He knew their hearts. He knew why they asked these questions. He was not going to give them credence by answering. They had seen His power exhibited in opening deaf ears, mute tongues, blind eyes, stopping issues of blood, and feeding multitudes with small amounts of food. They had had plenty of opportunities, if they really wanted to see.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians concerning this matter. "For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: (23) But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; (24) But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:22-24) We probably all want to see signs from time to time. We each may have been guilty of asking the Lord for a sign. In like manner, we may all have been guilty of misreading things we saw with our eyes and thinking it to be a sign from God. I have found I cannot trust my mind in making decisions. I have not perfected what I am about to say, but it is truth: My decision making process is much better when I take it to the Lord and fervently ask His direction. When I do that, I'm not asking for a sign. I'm asking for His wisdom and then trusting that wisdom when He gives it. That wisdom comes to us when the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts concerning a matter. When it is from God, we have a true sense of peace in our hearts that does not condemn us in our actions.
The Pharisees went to Jesus seeking a sign from heaven. They wanted something to be able to see with their eyes and touch with their hands. I am certain that you are probably tired of hearing bad news instead of good news, just as I am and many others. We all are looking to see when the pandemic is going to slow down. I watch for it. I'm guilty of wanting to see a sign that the virus is slowing and not doing as much damage as it has done. But this morning as I read concerning these Pharisees, my mind wanted to instantly condemn them for only wanting a sign. But am I just as guilty? I'm looking for a sign, a curve, that shows what is happening when all the time I need to be reminded that my Lord Jesus is in control. He's on His throne and ruling both in heaven and in earth. I'm not saying we need to throw caution to the wind, but for me, I need to be more mindful of the power of Christ. Our Lord has not lost any of His power whatsoever. I need to walk by faith not by sight.
We see the action of the Pharisees in our text today follows their normal path of action. They constantly looked to find fault in Jesus. They would tempt Him with their questions. They would try to trap Him; but invariably, He would turn the question around and trap them with it. Today, we find a different approach in Jesus' response to them. They asked for a sign. He straightway told them, "There shall no sign be given." He knew their hearts. He knew why they asked these questions. He was not going to give them credence by answering. They had seen His power exhibited in opening deaf ears, mute tongues, blind eyes, stopping issues of blood, and feeding multitudes with small amounts of food. They had had plenty of opportunities, if they really wanted to see.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians concerning this matter. "For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: (23) But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; (24) But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:22-24) We probably all want to see signs from time to time. We each may have been guilty of asking the Lord for a sign. In like manner, we may all have been guilty of misreading things we saw with our eyes and thinking it to be a sign from God. I have found I cannot trust my mind in making decisions. I have not perfected what I am about to say, but it is truth: My decision making process is much better when I take it to the Lord and fervently ask His direction. When I do that, I'm not asking for a sign. I'm asking for His wisdom and then trusting that wisdom when He gives it. That wisdom comes to us when the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts concerning a matter. When it is from God, we have a true sense of peace in our hearts that does not condemn us in our actions.
The Pharisees went to Jesus seeking a sign from heaven. They wanted something to be able to see with their eyes and touch with their hands. I am certain that you are probably tired of hearing bad news instead of good news, just as I am and many others. We all are looking to see when the pandemic is going to slow down. I watch for it. I'm guilty of wanting to see a sign that the virus is slowing and not doing as much damage as it has done. But this morning as I read concerning these Pharisees, my mind wanted to instantly condemn them for only wanting a sign. But am I just as guilty? I'm looking for a sign, a curve, that shows what is happening when all the time I need to be reminded that my Lord Jesus is in control. He's on His throne and ruling both in heaven and in earth. I'm not saying we need to throw caution to the wind, but for me, I need to be more mindful of the power of Christ. Our Lord has not lost any of His power whatsoever. I need to walk by faith not by sight.