Tuesday, July 11, 2006
THE SIGN
V38. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."
Dripping with sarcasm these religious charlatans address Jesus as “Teacher.” This is the same group that He has just called a brood of vipers who would be so assured of their own interpretations of God’s Law that they never would condescend to asking His interpretation or advice within their own field of expertise. The scene is set and the public would surely side with the exalted orthodox religious leadership. They are certain that they have Jesus backed into their trap.
With the multitude listening in, they fire their predicted death blow at Jesus by their request, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” This was an official mandate from the recognized leadership for Jesus to prove Himself to be the Messiah.
Jesus had been healing the afflicted out of His compassion but the religious leadership could only see that He would not subscribe to their regulative additions and silly mandates to His Father’s Law. The proud scribes and Pharisees had no compassion for the very people that God’s Law was to protect.
The sign that the religious sought was of a magnitude on a worldwide scale. This would be like rearranging the star constellations or causing rivers to flow backwards. We compare the parallel passage in Matt. 16:1-4 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Him asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2. But He answered and said to them, "When it is evening, you say, `It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' 3. "And in the morning, `There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4. "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah." And He left them, and went away. Barclay states, “They desired to see God in the abnormal; they forgot that we are never nearer God, and God never shows Himself to us so much and so continually as in the ordinary things of everyday.” This was not uncommon for these people as Paul tells us in 1Cor. 1:22 For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom.
Dripping with sarcasm these religious charlatans address Jesus as “Teacher.” This is the same group that He has just called a brood of vipers who would be so assured of their own interpretations of God’s Law that they never would condescend to asking His interpretation or advice within their own field of expertise. The scene is set and the public would surely side with the exalted orthodox religious leadership. They are certain that they have Jesus backed into their trap.
With the multitude listening in, they fire their predicted death blow at Jesus by their request, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” This was an official mandate from the recognized leadership for Jesus to prove Himself to be the Messiah.
Jesus had been healing the afflicted out of His compassion but the religious leadership could only see that He would not subscribe to their regulative additions and silly mandates to His Father’s Law. The proud scribes and Pharisees had no compassion for the very people that God’s Law was to protect.
The sign that the religious sought was of a magnitude on a worldwide scale. This would be like rearranging the star constellations or causing rivers to flow backwards. We compare the parallel passage in Matt. 16:1-4 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Him asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2. But He answered and said to them, "When it is evening, you say, `It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' 3. "And in the morning, `There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4. "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah." And He left them, and went away. Barclay states, “They desired to see God in the abnormal; they forgot that we are never nearer God, and God never shows Himself to us so much and so continually as in the ordinary things of everyday.” This was not uncommon for these people as Paul tells us in 1Cor. 1:22 For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom.
# posted by Castusfumus : 6:46 PM
