Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except for the sign of Jonah, the prophet.
Some words that jumped at me were “sign,” “no sign,” “evil and unfaithful generation,” and “sign of Jonah.”
The Scribes and Pharisees were asking for a sign. The evangelists in the gospel used the word ‘sign’ in place of what we today call a miracle. Signs point beyond themselves. They point toward Jesus. They say something about who Jesus is. Some of the signs Jesus performed were: the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes, the changing of water into wine in Cana, the cure of the royal official’s son in Capernaum, the healing at the pool of Bethesda, the walking on the Sea of Galilee, the raising of Lazarus, the healing of the man with a withered hand in the Synagogue on a Sabbath, the exorcism of a `blind and mute demoniac.
The Pharisees did not appreciate these miracles or signs performed by Jesus. Jesus knew of their hatred and resolved to put him to death (Matthew 12: 14). For instance, when Jesus cast off the demons on the man who was blind and mute, the Pharisees accused Jesus of using the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons, to cast out demons. Jesus called them a “brood of vipers” for their inability to differentiate light from the darkness.
These “brood of vipers” went on to ask Jesus for a sign, notwithstanding the signs that Jesus had already performed in their presence. Jesus mentioned that the only sign they will receive is the sign of Jonah. Jesus went on to explain his suffering, death, and resurrection would be a “sign” for all.
Jesus was with the Pharisees in flesh and blood, but the Pharisees were looking for a sign for the Messiah to come for them to change their way of life. Jesus says no sign will be given to them. The Son of Man is a sign to every generation, and no other sign would be given.
Do we look for a sign today? Jesus has given us the sign, His Paschal Mystery. This is his suffering, death, and resurrection; he calls us to repentance, metanoia, and a new beginning. We are called to do what is right, to love what is good, and to walk humbly with God. This is our sign. Mother Teresa says, “…..our only criterion for action is gratuitous love, free from every ideology and all obligations, offered freely to everyone without distinction of language, culture, race or religion.” Walk humbly with God.
Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as tomorrow, Tuesday, July 19, 2022, is my 25th priestly anniversary.
