In the midst of all the public acts Jesus was doing--miracles, healings, cleansing skin diseases--the people kept calling for signs from heaven. Some wanted to trap him into performing like a circus magician, delighting the crowd with increasingly bigger spectacles. others wanted to trap him into doing things that would further infuriate the religious leaders against him.
Jesus calls them an "evil and adulterous generation," and says that only the sign of the prophet Jonah will be given to them. You may remember that Jonah was the only Old Testament prophet sent by God from his own people out into the lands of their enemies. His message was a call to repent or face the wrath of an holy and just God. His witness was the courage to enter enemy lands with an unpopular message. Secretly, Jonah hoped they would ignore him, so that God would punish them. They repented and God spared them. The toughest part of being a "sign" to the Ninevites for Jonah was having to watch them obey God and be spared.
Jesus comes to Jerusalem and offers the same message: repent and live, or ignore the message and deal with the consequences. A message from God, brought by one of their own, to the Jews in Jerusalem. it should have been a slam-dunk for Jesus, but they rejected everything he offered. And yet, he kept pursuing them.
Is there something in your life about which God has been trying to get your attention? Is there an issue Jesus is speaking to you about, but you're ignoring him? Maybe it's time to stop and listen for a change. What do you think?
I am your fellow traveler,
Pastor Paul
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