Matthew 12:38-45

Pharisees Demand Miracles from Christ

39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;

40 for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41 "The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

42 "The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

43 "Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.

44 "Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.

45 "Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation."

Asking for Signs from God

Have you ever been in a situation or circumstance where you've asked God for help and just wished he would send a sign to show he has heard your prayer? Life would be much simpler if everything in God's plan for us was crystal clear and we could see instant miracles happening before our eyes every time we prayed. Well, it's not quite that simple.

As for the Pharisees, they were asking for miracles, not for the good of mankind but for the sake of proof that Jesus was who he claimed to be ( The Messiah ). The miraculous deeds Christ had performed up until this time should have been proof enough so Jesus knew their hearts. And, one more sign would be meaningless. If the religious leaders were open to believe, they would have done so already.

Should We Ask For Miracles In Order to Believe in God?

In verse 39 Jesus answered the Pharisees with "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign;.." so the same applies to us.

A Question of Faith

The Bible clearly gives us guidance and proof that Christ was born of Mary, lived among us, died on the cross and rose again to save us from sin. This is the foundation of Christianity. Witnessing a miracle today would not change these facts for us. In actuality, asking for signs only serves to prove a lack of faith on our part.

Instead of Looking for Signs ..

We, as Christians, need to follow in the footsteps of the faithful servants who came before us and tell others the good news about Jesus Christ instead of asking for signs to prove Gods existence. Miracles do happen everyday in Gods plan but don't expect them to always be obvious. The outcome might not be what we expect. Jesus prayed; "Your will be done .." and so should we.

What We Should Do Instead ..

With myself included, trust in God with faith, learn more about him through The Bible, and help others to trust him too. This very day someone might learn about Christ through something we do or say. Then, we'll see the greatest miracle of all!

Love In Christ

- Bob

Matthew 11:1-19 - Jesus Eases Doubt of John the Baptist