In Matthew 12:38-39 we see written, “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.”
“If God is real why doesn’t He show up right now?” Haven’t you heard that before? “God, if you are who they say you are then do something to prove it!” I heard it a thousand times. It’s the words of a generation of people who not only find it hard to believe but they CHOSE not to believe! This is a faithless and evil world we live in.
I want you to ask yourself a question. Have you ever asked for these things? Have you ever asked for God to give you a sign so that He can prove Himself to you? Maybe you know someone who has said something like that? It isn’t uncommon these days. Just like it wasn’t in the days of Jesus.
People, maybe people like you or like those around you, want God to put on a show for them. Do you know what it can be likened to? It’s like saying to God “If you want be to believe you are really God and in control then put on this clown suit and start performing for me! Entertain me God! If you do what we want then we will believe you are God!”
“If you do WHAT WE WANT then we will believe YOU are God!” Did you catch that? Since when does a God have to follow the commands of the people He is God over?! Would that not make Him less than God? Isn’t the very request insulting to God?! Of course it is! It’s like saying to the cop, “If you let me drive your patrol car I will believe you’re a real cop.”
Now in these verses we find them ask Jesus to basically prove He is God. After all the miracles He had done and all they had seen they still wanted more. They wanted Him to put on a show for them. Today, we want God to put on a show for us. We have the testimonies of Christians from years past and from today, yet people want “a sign”.
Jesus said no to them in that day. Today God still is saying no. God still refuses to put on that clown suit and perform for us. He is still God and we are still not! People could not get Him to show off for them then, and we still can’t. I want you to know why. This is what I want you to remember today. God doesn’t refuse to show us signs because He doesn’t care if we believe or not, He refuses to do so because He knows even if He did… we still would not be satisfied. Because God has already done so much, and He knows that if what has been done isn’t enough then nothing will be.
Do you remember the story of Moses in the book of Exodus? How he went to the king of Egypt and told him God said to let His people go. The king asked for a miracle to know that Moses spoke for God. Ten plagues hit Egypt per the words Moses spoke. Fire raining from heaven, days becoming as night and the first born children no longer in the land of the living! Yet even with these miracles the king hardened his heart and chose not to believe.
He said, like the people of today, “show me a miracle”. Yet he did not change his mind after having what he asked for. Just as today we would not believe even if we had what we ask for.
The king of Egypt did as we do today. He looked for an excuse to explain why the things he had seen were not enough! He asked for a miracle, and still didn’t believe when he got them! In the same way Jesus had done all these miracles yet the people wanted more! When is enough, enough?!
Jesus healed the sick and they said he was breaking the law (Matthew 12:9-11), He even would cast demons out of people and they said He was the devil (Matthew 12:24-26). It sounds to me like they were explaining things away. They didn’t want a sign, they wanted another excuse to explain Jesus away!
Let me ask you another question. If God DID show up in front of you and lay His hands on you what would you think? Don’t be too fast to say you would believe. The next question is what would you think of someone who told you it happened to them? Would you call them crazy? Wouldn’t you call yourself crazy if you would call them crazy? Be honest with yourself. You would explain the sign away, just like the king of Egypt wouldn‘t you.
In Luke 22:67 Jesus tells us directly why God will not bow to the wish of the people and perform for them. “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe.” God is not a mouse in your science project. The mouse goes after the cheese time and time again yet each time the cheese is removed and he still goes after it each time anyway. God knows when you say you will believe that you will take it back.
Listen, God may not put on a show for you, but He has given you what you need. Jesus didn’t put on a show for the sake of putting on a show. In fact when He was asked to do so He refused. But God still loves you enough to do things to bring you to Him. He won’t play your game by following your orders but He does love you enough to show Himself to you on His own terms. It’s up to you to explain them away as always or just accept them.
God has given you Christians to proclaim Him to you. He has given you the bible to tell you about Him. He created the universe to show His power to you! Even His spirit brings conviction to your heart so you can know this is true. What more do you need?
The bible said in Luke 16:31 “But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” If you chose to explain the things God already gave you away, you will do the same for anything else He may do. So why do you ask for more?
Why are you still trying to find the truth when it has been placed directly in front of you? Don’t be like these people who are never satisfied. You see millionaires wanting more money. You see CEO‘s wanting more power. Can you understand that until you see what you have been given already you will not be happy with more?
I am not trying to give you signs and wonders or even to prove to you who God is. There has been plenty of that given to you already. I am just asking you to stop thinking you need more and start believing what God already gave. If all the testimonies given to you are not enough and the very universe itself doesn’t cause you to understand then nothing will.
You have enough signs. God gave you the church, the bible, and the very world you live in to show you who He is. The bible said every good gift is from God. So you have a sign pointing you to God every time you get a rose blooming in your garden. Have you thought of that? How that little seed becomes that rose? It’s God that gives growth and life. It’s our stubborn unbelief that caused sickness and death.
So the next time you say or hear someone say “If only God would do this for me, then I would believe.” you can know why God does not bow to that wish. It’s because you can not tempt God to do your bidding. Because God knows the truth behind what you ask. The truth that you still would not believe.
Stop looking for more. Start looking at what God already did for you. God loves you. You have plenty of signs. Don’t wait for the next sign. There may not be one. You only get one stop sign, after that your in the intersection.
God gave you more than one sign. Why should you look for more? Start paying attention to the ones He already gave. Don’t harden your heart like the king of Egypt. Don’t explain things away any longer. Start taking this seriously.
God takes you seriously. He gave His only Son to bring you into a relationship with Him. If that doesn’t show how serious He is I don’t know what will. Please, don’t ignore the signs that are there to save your soul. Follow the signs, and find life in God.
