The signs that prove who Jesus is

Matthew 16:1–12

Some people refused to believe. There was plenty of evidence. But nothing would convince them.

Some people chose not to understand (Matthew 16:1–4)

The Pharisees and the Sadducees wanted to test Jesus (Matthew 16:1). So they asked him to do a miracle. It would be like a sign. It would prove that he came from God. Read Matthew 12:38–42. These verses explain more about the incident. Jesus refused to do what they asked. The signs or proofs were already there. People who were willing to learn would know about them.

People would look at a red sky in the evening. They would know that the next day would have good weather. But a red sky in the morning meant the opposite. There would soon be a storm. This was what happened in ancient Israel. (This is true in other parts of the world today too.) The Jews knew how to understand signs like these. So Jesus told them to do the same with him.

They could already be sure that he came from God. Here are some of the signs or proofs:

• Nobody else ever spoke as he did. (Read Matthew 7:28–29.)
• He had done many great miracles.
• He could control nature (Read Matthew 8:27.)
• Even evil spirits knew him (Matthew 8:29).
• His whole life and work were already proof enough.

If the Jews would not believe all these signs, then nothing would convince them.

Then Matthew said something that was sad. He said: ‘Jesus left them and went away.’ (Read Matthew 15:22 too.) He will never stay with people who do not want him.

The disciples did not understand (verses 5–12)

We do not know why the disciples did not understand Jesus’ words (Matthew 16:6). But Jesus’ answer was clear. He was talking about the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The disciples must be careful about their teaching. Jesus taught something that was important. It was this. People’s thoughts affect the way that they act. And people’s actions affect the way that they think. This was true about the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The way that they thought affected their reaction to Jesus.

Jesus described their teaching. It was like yeast. This substance makes bread rise. That was why the disciples thought that Jesus was talking about bread! But in the Bible, yeast was often a word picture. It described something that affected all that it touched. It grew and it was powerful too.

We may want to know what teaching Jesus was thinking about in this passage. He did not explain. But, from what we know about the Pharisees, we can suggest certain things. First, the Pharisees had a wrong opinion of themselves. They thought that they were very holy. They thought that their lives were very good. So, they believed that they had a special relationship with God. Because of this, they could not understand that they needed Jesus.

The Pharisees had a wrong opinion of God’s purpose for the world too. God wanted all people to love him and to enjoy him. The Pharisees had failed to understand this. They did not want to share their God with the rest of the world. They were selfish with their religion. They only cared about obeying all the details of their laws.

To the Pharisees, the world that is future was not important. So they thought that this life was most important. That was especially true about the Sadducees. It made it very hard for them to receive Jesus.

Even today, it is easy to have attitudes like these. If we do, the result will be the same. We could easily think that we do not need Jesus either.

Questions

• Should people who belong to churches expect signs or miracles today? When do miracles help people to hear the word of God? When do they make it harder for people to hear the word of God?
• What things stop people from receiving Jesus today? How can we help these people?