“Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.”
I don’t know what else the scribes and Pharisees needed to see from Jesus. If we take a look back at some of the things that Jesus did before they asked for a sign, we will see why their request was needless. Jesus had healed people, and had even raised a young girl from the dead. (To get a good picture of what I mean, read chapters 8-10 of Matthew.) They weren’t satisfied with what Jesus had done; they wanted to see something else. In the ensuing verses in Matthew 12 Jesus told them that the only sign he would give them was the “sign of the prophet Jonah.” This was a reference to the three days that Jonah spent in the belly of the “great fish,” which was a reference to Jesus’ resurrection when he was in the grave and rose again after three days.. I think that we are as guilty today as the Scribes and Pharisees were then. Before we will commit ourselves to Jesus, we want Him to prove Himself to us – to do something else. Good lands! What else does He need to do? God has already given us His magnificent creation. Psalm 19:1-3 deals with this: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament (sky, space, stars, etc.) shows forth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night shows knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” We can look around us and see the handiwork of God both day and night. I know that there are people who look at what God has created and all they see is a “natural world.” To them this world started with a big bang and everything else just happened by chance. People see what they want to see, but as I look at the order of the universe and the beauty of the earth, I see what God has done and rejoice in it. God has already given us His Word – the Bible. Let’s return to Psalm 19 and see what it tells us about this. In verse 7 the psalmist wrote: “The law (which is the part of the Bible that he had) of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” All the way from Genesis to Revelation, God is revealing Himself through His word. I know that a lot of people read the Bible and cannot see the word of God in it. They give many reasons why they take this view, but we who believe have this dynamic record of God’s work through creation and redemption as solace for our souls. I know that I am glad that I have God’s word to study each day. There are times when I want to see God do something else, but then He reminds me that if I can’t find Him in what He has already revealed, then I won’t find Him. God has already given us His Son. Hebrews 1:1-3 speaks eloquently to this: “God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; 3. Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.” I’m not saying that God no longer acts in this world, of course He does, I’m just saying that He doesn’t need to give us anything else to help us believe, because He has done enough already by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins. Understand that God does not have to do anything else to prove Himself to you. Yes, He can, and will, do marvelous things in your life, but that is to bless you, not prove Himself to you. If what God has already done doesn’t suffice to help you believe, I doubt that “something else” will suffice either. Remember, faith is believing without seeing. Bro. Joe
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
All
Archives
September 2021
|