Signs for the Wicked

As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah." (Luke 11:29)

As I have been contemplating the frequency of the mention of signs in the book of John, the above verse caught my attention. This brings up something I have not thought about much in my pursuit of finding out why John seemed so intent on this subject. Evidently there is a difference between the kinds of signs John talks about and the signs Jesus was talking about here. Or maybe there is yet another way to approach this. Maybe it has something to do with the difference between offering signs and demanding signs.

I have always been puzzled by the fact that many of the Jews in Christ's day seemed so out of it by repeatedly asking for signs when it seemed so obvious that the life of Jesus was chock full of signs. It seemed that even after dozens of very obvious miracles that the Jews could still turn right around and demand yet another sign claiming that they would then believe. What was really going on here? And are we just as inscrutable as were the self-conflicted Jews who seemed intransigent in their refusal to believe in Jesus despite an abundance of miracles?

I have long ago become very convinced that we are in at least as bad a condition spiritually as were the Jews in Christ's day. Therefore, since this is true we have the advantage of observing their mistakes, and by taking them to heart we can have the opportunity to recognize the same dangers and blind spots in our own hearts as what they had and take corrective action. It really is not necessary to plow through all the same mistakes that others have made before us when we have their examples as a warning to do something different.

Sometimes I have thought about this and have caught myself having similar feelings of wanting to see something miraculous, thinking that if only I could have something dramatic happen in my life that it would cause me to believe so much easier. But that kind of thinking is all too similar to that of the Pharisee's and others in Christ's day who seemed to always be looking for signs but unwilling to have their hearts changed by the many signs that were already right in front of their eyes.

So it seems that the real problem is not the lack of signs but the spirit inside of a person that shows itself by demanding more signs. According to Jesus, this spirit is what causes a whole generation of people to be seen from heaven's perspective as being evil and wicked. An attitude of wanting signs before one is willing to believe the truth about God creates a block in the heart which keeps God from being able to enter in and transform the life. An insistence on making signs a prerequisite before believing is a symptom of unbelief itself which is one of the most viral forms of the infection of sin.

On the other hand, according to John there are many who come to believe in Jesus because of the many signs that they see in His life. Evidently there is a different spirit in these people that causes them to respond differently than those who are demanding more signs before they are willing to believe. In this case, God seems sometimes happy to provide signs to attract as many as possible into a much deeper level of relationship with Him which later does not require the constant presence of signs in order to maintain belief.

Signs have their place, but they can either be an attraction to draw people into closer examination and embracing of the gospel, or they can become a stumbling block used as an excuse to cover over a spirit of insistent unbelief. So sometimes signs can be a real blessing but sometimes they can cause hardening of the heart depending on the spirit of the observer.

I also sense that what John and Jesus considered real signs were not often considered the kinds of signs the Jews were really craving to see. I strongly suspect that they may have had some specific ideas of the kinds of things they hoped Jesus would do in answer to their demands but that Jesus was not interested in doing. I am not sure right now what those might have been, but evidently the kinds of things that John viewed as good, legitimate signs that should have had an impact in helping people to believe were not considered as qualified signs according to the expectations of what the Pharisee's classified as signs.

I suspect that the kinds of signs that the Jewish leaders wanted might be signs that were more in line with their own spirit of selfishness and their distorted views of God. Because the signs of Jesus always proceeded from a completely selfless spirit of love, compassion and purity, the signs that flowed from Jesus' life were found to be repulsive to the Pharisee's because they tended to expose their own selfish spirit by contrast.

I want to know more about this subject and will continue to listen and study and meditate on this over the coming days and weeks. And I also want to be more attuned to noticing and remembering the signs that may be in my own life that can encourage me to believe more deeply in the truth about God. I want to not only be more aware of the signs that God is providing for my benefit but I also want to be available for God to make my own life a sign to attract others to want to know Him better.