“Why does this generation seek for a sign?"

Mark 8:11-38 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. ¹² Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” ¹³ Leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side.

¹⁴ And they had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. ¹⁵ And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” ¹⁶ They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. ¹⁷ And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? ¹⁸ Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember, ¹⁹ when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” ²⁰ “When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they said to Him, “Seven.” ²¹ And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

²² And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored Him to touch him. ²³ Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” ²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.” ²⁵ Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. ²⁶ And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

²⁷ Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸ They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹ And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.” ³⁰ And He warned them to tell no one about Him.

³¹ And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³² And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. ³³ But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

³⁴ And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. ³⁵ For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶ For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? ³⁷ For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ³⁸ For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Today’s text begins saying:  The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”   The Pharisees witnessed the miracles, the healings and deliverances Jesus performed, yet they sought a sign. Of all the people who were there when Jesus was here, the Pharisees should have recognized Him because of their knowledge of scripture. It is not with human knowledge or understanding though that people recognize Jesus. 1 Corinthians 3:18-19 says:  Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”   Neither wisdom nor a sign from heaven causes a person to recognize who Jesus is. Later in the text Jesus asks the disciples about who He is. It says:  Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.” And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”     Matthews account says a little more. Matthew 16:15-17 says:  “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Jesus identity, that He was and is the Christ, the Son of God, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Lord and Savior, was and is not revealed through flesh and blood, by human wisdom or knowledge. It is not revealed by a sign from heaven. Rather it is revealed by the Father who is in heaven. To any who seeks to know who Jesus is, the Father will reveal it, He will say as He did when Jesus was baptized: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." (Matthew 3:17/Mark 1:11)  Jeremiah 29:13-14 says:  You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.    Jesus identity is revealed by the Father to those who seek with their heart, not with their mind, through human understanding, nor through their eyes by a physical sign.  It is a heart, turned toward the Father and Jesus, which knows that He is the Christ. That’s why from the beginning of His ministry Jesus said:  "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 4:17)  The presence and the evidence of the kingdom of heaven and the identity of Christ, God’s Son, is at hand. It is all around us, but it is only seen by those who seek the Father with their heart, not with their flesh. We need to change the way we believe to see Christ.  

It is one thing to know who Jesus is and still another to follow Him. Today’s text ends saying:  And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”  1 Corinthians 1:18 says:  For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  The world will try to shame those who believe in Christ. They will say our faith, our belief in Jesus, the cross and the Father is foolishness. They will rely on human knowledge and on what they see with their eyes. Seeing the evil in the world, they do not recognize a good and righteous God. They try to shame those who live for God’s righteousness. Jesus says that those who follow Him must deny self. They must not be concerned with the things of the world. Those who follow Him are to take up their cross and lose their life for the sake of Christ and the gospel. We cannot be shamed by the world if we are dead to it. The world will try to shame those who believe. To them the cross, and the Christ, the Savior and the Redeemer are foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  To those who seek with their heart He will be found.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You for revealing Your wisdom, Your power and the identity of Christ, my Lord and Savior. I am not ashamed. May I walk by faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit and may I follow You with my whole heart.  Amen.