Let's continue the Unlocking the Power of Your Thinking series with another look at the story of the feeding of the multitude. This time we will examine the days following that miracle. Immediately we read that the leaders came to Jesus to test Him:
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 sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away (Matthew 16:1-4).
These are remarkable verses that tell us much. Let's get started.
A SIGN
Jesus had just fed a multitude with a few loaves and fish, but the Sadducees and Pharisees were not impressed. (By the way, those two parties or movements loathed one another, but here they came together to try and trick Jesus, asking Him for something they didn't believe He could produce.) You see, the Jews thought the devil could do signs on earth, which would include feeding a multitude, but they were asking for something more dramatic. They wanted to see the sun stand still or some other "sign from heaven." They were asking Jesus for an absolute and indisputable public demonstration of power. When you ask God for repeated confirmations of His will for your life, you may be doing the same, but I am getting ahead of myself.
Jesus basically responded by saying, "There are signs all around you, signs from heaven, and you don't know how to interpret them. Oh you can predict the rain when you see God's creation acting in a certain way, but you are not able to figure out who I am and what I represent from those same signs." He then accused those leaders of being in bed, so to speak, with other gods by referring to them as "adulterous." It's not that they had abandoned their God; they had simply taken on mindsets and attitudes to supplement their worship of Jehovah. Later, James wrote that when we are friends with the world, we are also "adulterous" (see James 4:4).
Jesus did promise His opponents a sign but it would be the sign of Jonah, who was swallowed by a whale where He spent three nights to think about God's will. Jesus was going to follow Jonah's example and "disappear" for three days only to return to establish His kingdom and lead His followers to eternal life. When you pray for a sign to confirm God's will, you must remember that you have already received the sign of Jonah. If you believe in the Resurrection, then you can believe God for anything—money, healing, ministry opportunities, your own business, or healing of relationships. After all, if God can raise the dead, He can do any and all things and you have your sign that God is with you: "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you" (Romans 8:11).
"I'M DONE"
Then Matthew 16:4 reports something remarkable, a turning point in Jesus' ministry. Matthew wrote that "Jesus left them and went away." From that point on, Jesus was no longer trying to debate and woo the Pharisees and Sadducees. After this encounter, He said, "I'm done. You are stiff-necked and hard-hearted, and I am withdrawing from you. With all the evidence, you have no interest in following Me or My ways. Even a sign from heaven would not cure your unbelief. By rejecting Me, you have rejected the Father."
It can be difficult to accept that Jesus was "done" with anyone and, of course, He did not withdraw completely. He was still present from time to time, but He spent more and more of His last days preparing His disciples rather than trying to argue and win over the leaders, who had said in essence they were done with Jesus as well. Nothing He could have done would win their favor and loyalty, including coming back from the dead
The good news, as we will see next week, is that Jesus immediately took His disciples, went away, and began to prepare them more completely for what was to come. That is good news for us is that we are among that company with whom He still works to help us be on guard against as He was to call the leaven or teaching of the Pharisees. That teaching or leaven is really the thinking of the Pharisees to which we are all susceptible.
How about you? Are you asking God for a sign before you accept what's in your heart to do? Did you ever realize you have your sign, which was Jesus's Resurrection? It was His Resurrection that showed you God's power on your behalf. It was the Resurrection that eventually led to the outpouring of the Spirit, who now lives in you to empower you to carry out God's will for your life. It was the Resurrection that positioned Jesus at the Father's right hand where He is praying and interceding for you. You have the sign of Jonah and you don't need a bizarre manifestation so you can be sure you won't look foolish or fail as you step up and out in God's purpose for your life. Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is their worldview that God owes you a full explanation before He expects you to take the steps of faith. Have a blessed week!
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