10 And straightway he entered into a ship with his
disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.
11 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 have the sad account in this section of Scripture
where the Lord Jesus entered into parts of Dalmanutha (on west side of Lake
Galilee). There the Pharisees demanded
from Him a sign that He was indeed the Messiah.
They were acting like the Devil himself, tempting Him for a sign. Perhaps they were motivated by Satan. At any rate they wanted a concrete sign from
Him. If they had known the Scriptures
and believed in it they would have seen signs all around them.
The Lord’s birth alone fulfilled many of the Old Testament
prophecies. John the Baptist’s preaching
would have been a sign. The healing miracles
that Christ performed were a sign. How
about the feeding of the five thousand, and then the four thousand? That too was a sign. There were signs everywhere. But the Pharisees probably relying on their
philosophy and beliefs were looking for their sign. They wanted Christ to perform a “sign from
Heaven.” It wasn’t enough that the Old
Testament Scriptures were fulfilled in front of their very eyes. John’s thundering voice in the wilderness was
ignored. The miracles were counted as
suspicious and from the Devil. They
wanted the Lord Jesus to perform for them on their terms. But the Lord will have none of it. God doesn’t come to us on our terms. He is Creator and Savior. He speaks through His Word. If we don’t pay attention to His sign, then
we are left with nothing, just like the Pharisees who tempted Him. The Lord’s reaction is sad. He, the Bible says, “sighed deeply,” that
means his sadness came from the very depths of his heart. It is astounding that unbelief breaks the
heart of God. He loves us so much, and wants us to
take Him at His Word, to believe on Him as He teaches us in the Bible. “There shall no sign be given unto this
generation,” that is, none of their sign that they demanded will be
given to them. God doesn’t honor
unbelief. The only sign, that the cross
references in the other Gospels mention, is that of the Resurrection. But even the very act of the Lord’s
Resurrection itself was of no use to their blinded hearts. You would think that a Risen Savior and an
empty tomb would have been good enough signs, but no. Signs are only good when people take heed to
them. And in this case, because of their
sin and pride, the Lord does not honor their superficial request for a
sign. One of the saddest verses in the
Bible is verse 13, “and He left them.”
There were signs everywhere, but as the saying goes, there is none so
blind as those who refuse to see. And
what a terrible thing it is for the Lord Jesus to have to leave them alone, and
be broken hearted. How many people today,
just like the Pharisees, have such pride and sin and unbelief that even today,
while His tomb is empty, are still looking for God on their own terms.
How many Christians today want a sign? Did God preserve His Word? Show us a sign! They say. Which original language text is it in? Which translation? Where is it exactly? And what about other signs, Can we speak in
tongues? Can we gain more of the Holy
Spirit? Can He move this furniture and
give us warm fuzzies? We demand a sign!
And God is not pleased. He has
given us His Word. That is His sign to
us. May we open our eyes to His Word,
read it, obey it, put it to the test, prove it and make it our own. Let us trust in the sufficiency of His Word.
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