Good Morning Friends,
“The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and
tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, ‘When
evening comes, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,” and in
the morning, “Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.” You
know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the
signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous
sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.’ Jesus then left them
and went away.” (Matthew 16:1-4)
Jesus performed many miracles as “signs” so
that people would believe and follow Him. So, why wouldn’t He perform a miracle
for the Pharisees and Sadducees so that they might believe and be saved?
When Jesus told the story of the rich man and
Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), He said that if the people will not listen to Moses
and the prophets they would not believe even if someone should come back from
the dead. That proved true of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus did work
miracles in their presence and they heard testimony of other miracles of His. But
those miracles were not enough, none would be. Even clear evidence that Jesus
had risen from the dead was not enough for them.
Jesus knew their hearts and that’s why He would
not show them a sign. They were not sincerely seeking truth. They were out to
test and trap Jesus. Any sign He would have performed they would have explained
away, because their hearts were so hard toward Him that they would not believe
no matter what He did.
Jesus did work many signs that helped people
believe, but they were performed for seekers, people who were open to the Lord.
His, by Grace, Steve
No comments:
Post a Comment