“You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Matthew 16:3b-4
I have never really liked the phrase, “can’t see the forest for the trees.” Perhaps it is because it so often describes me. I am not only the guy who often asks people to help him find the keys in his hand, but I am also the person who cries for wonders while standing in the midst of one. I’m willing to bet you have been that person too.
Jesus tells the Pharisees and Sadducees, who are testing Jesus rather than seeking truth in asking for signs from Heaven, that the signs they need (not want) have already been presented to them, and they have missed it. They will also miss it when “the sign of Jonah,” Christ’s resurrection takes place.
I hope that we will realize that more often we are the religious authorities in this picture and less often the disciples observing our master provide a smart, cryptic response to their disingenuous inquiry. More often I want God to perform a miracle to prove Himself rather than see that the miracles I need have already been provided, and if I open my selfish eyes, I will not only see more miracles but participate in them as he glorifies Himself and not me.
Someone asked me once if I believed the story of Jonah was true, that is, if I believed a whale swallowed a man and after three days deposited him exactly where he had been sent to preach repentance. My response was that it did not matter if the story actually happened. The truth is more real than the facts. I believe in a God who created a world in which such an event could happen. I also believe in a God for whom this did happen when those same sign-seekers killed the Lord Jesus, who would three days later break free from the belly of the earth.
Christ our Savior and Mystery to the world: cleanse us and take the scales from our eyes. We need to see You. And we need to wake to the signs of your presence and power and love. We ask in the name of the Wonderful Counselor, Jesus Our Lord, Amen.
