Matthew 16: 1-3: “And the Pharisees and the Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”
Jesus had performed numerous miracles in numerous cities that validated Him being the Messiah. The Pharisees, who were traditionalists, legalists, and religious hypocrites elevated their traditions above God’s Word. They came from middle-class Jewish families. The Sadducees were from the Jewish aristocracy and were the liberals of their day. They rejected the idea of angels and any form of resurrection or life after death and were more politically minded. These two groups were often bitter opponents, and both had false teaching of doctrine. However, now they were joining forces in unity against Jesus because they saw Him as a threat against their leadership and power. They did not come to Jesus out of any genuine faith or need, but out of jealousy and “to test him.” They asked for a sign or miracle to use against Him. Neither sect was concerned about matters of the heart.
But miracles never convince or convict people of sin or produce a desire for salvation. The miracles that Jesus did were the result of peoples faith in recognizing Him in their heart and mind and soul. Willful unbelief was never dissolved by any miraculous wonder that Jesus or His disciples had performed.
My husband, having grown up on a farm when he was a child, can tell what the weather is going to do by looking up at the sky. By looking at the particular type of clouds in the air and the direction of the wind, he can often predict what the weather pattern will be. The Pharisees and the Sadducees, in Biblical times, did the same thing. If they saw a red sky during sunset, it meant that no rain was ahead, dry air was moving towards them, and the wind was sure to follow. A red sky in the morning indicated the dry air had already moved past them and rain or a storm would follow. They had great intellectual intelligence (such as predicting the weather) but did not have spiritual knowledge and understanding to discern spiritual matters. They held onto their idols of pride and their independent way of indifference to Jesus, in demanding yet another sign from heaven. No miracle in the sky would have changed their minds. Jesus could have chosen to impress them but He refused. So Jesus judged them by leaving.
The theme of faith is found throughout Matthew. In Matthew 14:31 Jesus says to Peter when Peter tried to walk on water but started to sink when he saw the wind, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Then in Luke 17:5: “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
So how do we correctly live amongst our own modern-day culture of misguided intellectuals and philosophers who don’t recognize Christ’s return is closer today than it was yesterday? How do we as believers learn from Peter and the apostles? Do we keep needing to see miracles ourselves?
Jesus said “follow me” 23 times throughout Matthew and Mark. That is our answer. We keep on following Jesus one day at a time. We that are saved are each a miracle molded by Jesus working in and perfecting us in His image on an on-going daily basis. He gives us blessings we need to recognize and give Him thanks. We have a story to share – His story to share with others.
We with our spiritual eyes recognize the signs of the times are pointing to Christ’s return more and more. God alone controls human history. So each day that we live is a gift from God. Live out your faith fully as He intended – one day at a time. Your life is evidence to reach another person for Christ.
Listen to Lauren Daigle – Light of the World (Lyrics)