Mark 8:11

Mark 8:11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it.” Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

In this scripture we see Jesus' frustration with the guile and unbelief of the Pharisees. He knew their hearts; He knew the purposes behind their request. They were not seeking a sign from God. They were there to test him. Much like Satan in the desert, they were taunting the Lord of heaven and earth: Prove that you are the son of God and then we will worship you. But He knew the hardness of their hearts, and He rightly discerned their motivations. Hence, we can almost hear his deep sigh even today, and in our minds we can see him getting into the boat and crossing to the other side. Obviously, had they truly been seeking a sign, Jesus had already performed many miracles and provided signs that would have sufficed, but they merely wanted to put him on the spot at that moment, wanted to ask him to perform, thinking they would embarrass him. Although He could have done anything He wanted, He certainly was not willing to comply with their demands in the face of their deceitful and sinful hearts.

Sometimes in troubled times, we Christians have a little bit of that "If you are God, prove yourself to me" spirit in us. When we ought to be long past that point in our relationship with our Redeemer, Lord, and King, we want him to prove himself to us by performing some some deed at our command that will satisfy our fleshly needs. I wonder if the Lord sighs deeply or looks at us with eyes of concern. I am sure that He sometimes ponders his children's hearts of unbelief and asks, "Have I been with you so long and you still doubt me?" I think He would want us to have the confidence of who He is and who we are in him. In fact, I am sure of that. In a Colossians, Paul wrote that our lives are hid with Christ in God. That is a place of completeness: complete security, complete sufficiency, complete assurance that Christ is our all in all, our everything. In that place we need no longer ask him for a sign that He is God or that He is active in our lives. In that place of rest, we accept that God is our Abba Father who loves his children. We accept that we have a Good Shepherd who loves the sheep and abides with them, goes before them and prepares the way, leads them in green pastures and beside still waters. Even when we go through the valley of the shadow of death, He goes with us and never leaves us or forsakes us. There is no need for him to prove himself to us, for He proved himself at the cross. He gave us the sign from heaven, the ultimate sign: He paid the price, and the price He paid was enough. It is enough for anything you are facing today. So dear son and daughter of the King, do not ask your Lord for a sign today. Hide in him, hold fast to what you know is true, and He will meet your needs according to his riches in glory. You are his lovely one, his beloved, the flower of his heart. Love, Mom (Jacqueline) (Filling in for Dad who is speaking to the men at Lifegate Four Square)