Matthew 16:1-4
“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.”
Do you ever wish Jesus would do some huge miracle that nobody could deny? Brian Williams talks about it on the NBC Nightly News…Sean Hannity on Fox News…Anderson Cooper on CNN…Glenn Beck on the radio…The New York Times…USA Today…Al Jazeera…even the National Enquirer and People Magazine! Wouldn’t that be nice?
“A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign…”
The reality is, signs & miracles have been given over and over again and still most people choose not to believe. Jesus could show up today and flip the Empire State Building on its head and STILL there would be people who CHOOSE not to believe in Him. What’s up with that?
Sadly, people’s rejection of Jesus has nothing to do with a lack of signs & miracles…it’s all about pride. Refusal to see themselves as sinners. Refusal to see themselves as completely helpless when it comes to their own salvation. Refusal to bend the knee and place themselves under the authority of a holy and righteous God. Refusal to believe that there is only one way to Heaven because they want options.
“A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign…”
For most of us, even some, we have a hard time believing that the Gospel in and of itself is enough to bring people to salvation. We have a hard time believing that the Word of God all by itself never comes back void. We have a hard time believing that it doesn’t need to be sold or watered down or somehow softened in order to be attractive.
The next time you wish you had a big time miracle to point to in order to convince someone to believe in Christ…point them to the Gospel, instead. Believe it or not, it’s enough.
