LIKE A PLAGUE OF RATS!
11 The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. 12 He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. Mark 8:11-13
The Pharisees were everywhere, it seems. Like a plague of rats, they appeared wherever Jesus went, badgering Him over every issue they could think of. This time it was about signs. They were demanding a miraculous sign to confirm His claims.
Jesus was angry with them. If they chose to believe, He had given them more than enough proof of His identity. If only they had eyes to see and ears to hear, they would have seen a perfect replica of the Messianic fingerprint all over the Old Testament. They were not convinced and they would never be convinced because it all boiled down to what they wanted. Their attention was on the politics of their nation rather than on the real kingdom of God, the one inside them to which Jesus called them to give their allegiance.
Since the Jews believed that their hearts were intrinsically good and that TESHUVAH and TEPHILAH meant coming back to what He originally created them to be, then it is understandable that Jesus would remind them that the kingdom of God was within them…
Jesus also knew that no matter how many miraculous signs He did, nothing would convince them of His true identity because they had no desire to change and submit themselves to His lordship. They enjoyed their position of authority and admiration in the nation and they were not prepared to forfeit that for a position of humble servant-hood. They were far too fond of the praise of men to forfeit it to follow Jesus.
Every message, every miracle was a sign, if only they had a heart to see and hear. As we read the gospels, we can see more and more that Jesus’ miracles were not stunts but signs of His identity and His intention. Whatever He said and did reflected on the Father. He was the perfect replica of the Father and His purpose was to reconcile His people to the Father so that they, in turn, would reflect the Father to the world.
With their hearts so full of rot, is it any wonder that they would rather kill Jesus than hear the truth. Jesus” diagnosis of the human heart was spot one. “People love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.” How tragic that the solution is so simple, and yet people run from Him instead of to Him. He has mercy for everyone who repents, but only judgment for those who reject His offer of mercy.