A Thought For The Week Of May 1, 2017

"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, 'Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.'" (Matthew 12:38) It's a strange thing perhaps - but in my observation there are generally two kinds of people who want signs from God: hard core believers and hard core unbelievers. They're at opposite ends of the spectrum, but in some ways they're the two sides of the same coin. It's pretty easy to understand why unbelievers would want a sign. They demand proof as a condition for belief. That's simple and straightforward and completely understandable. But understanding why believers want signs is more complicated. I would say there are three reasons that believers might ask for signs. First is that some people simply get fixated on the dramatic and supernatural. It becomes almost an addiction. They need signs, signs and more signs - which is, in itself, a sign of a sincere but very fragile faith that's in constant need of reassurance. Then there are the believers who don't need to "demand" signs because they already see the evidence of God all around them in the every day things of life. That's more or less the group I would count myself among. And then there's a third group - who have a lot in common with the Pharisees. This group demands signs either as a way of judging the faith of others or they demand signs as a way of being able to mock the faith of others. In this passage, Jesus had come and claims had been made about him. There were already signs around to back up the claims. But the Pharisees demanded still more. Nothing would satisfy them. Theirs was a closed mind and a closed heart - unable to see and appreciate what was right in front of them, and not really expecting that there was anything to see and hear in the first place. That's an attitude that still exists today. It's a reason that people of faith need to be continually growing their faith and building their relationship with God. There will be a lot of testing of our faith, and even a lot of mocking of it. Standing firm isn't always easy - but if you know that God is with you, you don't need mighty signs to stay strong. You just need a sincere faith.