Believing is not Seeing! (or, “Of Signs
and Sighs”)
Mark 8:10-13
Introduction:
In His post-resurrection appearance to Thomas, Jesus said, “…Blessed are those who have not seen, yet
believe.” A little further on in this chapter we’ll see Jesus heal a blind
man, miraculously granting physical sight. In this short few verses, Mark
8:10-13, the Pharisees are once again revealed as being spiritually blind.
Their request, and the intentions of their hearts, reveal that they cannot see
what is right in front of them: the promised Messiah was here! It seems to me
that one of the truths that we see in the Gospel accounts of the life of Jesus
is that faith, believing, is taking God at His word, not being convinced
by the signs that He did. Think about the miracles that Jesus did in the
Gospels. Healing paralytics, restoring withered limbs, cleansing lepers,
casting out demons, giving sight to the blind and opening the ears of the deaf,
even raising the dead! The evidence is compelling, but as Paul said to the
Corinthians,
“The natural person does not accept
the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able
to understand them because they are spiritually discerned…” (I Cor 2:14).
Paul said the natural (unregenerate)
human is not able to understand the
things of the Spirit of God. The blindness of the Pharisees to what Jesus was
doing and saying, their blindness to who He was and is, illustrates this truth,
and points us to…
The BIG Idea: Faith is taking God at His Word,
that is, believing who Jesus is and trusting what He did for us. Let’s look at these verses in their…
Context: After
a mission that included miracles in gentile territory (including setting free
the daughter of the Syrophoenician woman, and healing a deaf-mute in the region
of Decapolis… Jesus fed the largely
gentile crowd he had preached to for three days. He then dismissed them. Immediately,
He moved on… He had given hope to the gentiles in that region, reinforcing the
message of the man who had been set free from the Legion and sent back to his
own people.
But the work Jesus came to do meant a return to Jewish territory, and
eventually a journey to Jerusalem and the Cross. He must allow the lost sheep
of the house of Israel to hear and respond to His message. We read in Mark
8:10, “And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples
and went to the district of Dalmanutha.” He
has reinforced a lesson with this short gentile mission: He came to be the
Savior of the world! Soon the disciples will be sent to bring His message to
the world! Three questions can guide us once again… First…
I. Who is Jesus? Mark is calling his readers to repentance and
faith. As he does so, he exposes the unbelief of the Jewish leaders. Faith is
believing God, taking Him at His Word (11). Is seeing believing? Here we
read that “The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking
from him a sign from heaven to test him.”
Jesus and the disciples
crossed the lake, and arrived back in Jewish territory. The impression is that
the Pharisees were looking for Him, because as soon as He lands in Galilee they
come. How was He received? The contrast between this arrival, and the
ministry He had in Gentile territory in the previous context is striking. The
crowds had gathered wherever Jesus went, His reputation preceded Him. In Tyre
and in Decapolis they came as well, and apparently were eager to hear His
teaching and they received Him. But now, back in Galilee, as the Pharisees
come, there was no humility, no seeking. They came looking for an argument… they
came to “test” Him.
What was the “dispute” the Pharisees had with Jesus? Remember that they
rigorously held to the traditions of the fathers, the man-made rules that the
rabbis had developed throughout the intertestamental period. Tradition! They
were shocked and offended that Jesus and his disciples did not embrace the system
of rules, the “hedge around the Law” that was designed to make personal
holiness attainable. Jesus pointed people “Back to the Bible.” He upheld the
Scriptures as our infallible guide for faith and practice. Scripture trumps
tradition!
The Pharisees came, not seeking
to hear and understand, but to “argue” and “to test Him.” They were questioning Him – Looking to build
their case against Him. They weren’t truth seekers, their minds were made up—they
would not be confused by the facts! Important to remember: Jesus knew their
hearts. He knew their motives. They “disputed” or “questioned” Him, the
Lord, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe! As Paul asked rhetorically in
his letter to the Romans, “Who are you, O
man, to talk back to God?” They sought a sign rather than seeking the Sign
Giver who stood right before them! They didn’t believe Him. They didn’t know
Him. That is the Big Idea: Faith is taking God at His Word, that is, believing
who Jesus is and trusting what He did for us.
II. Why did He come? Jesus “sighed
deeply,” recognizing
the hard-heartedness of the leaders, seeing the evidence of the Fall on display
(12a).
12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation
seek a sign?”
The language
here might sound familiar. Jesus also “sighed” [Greek=stenazo] back in 7:34 as He was healing the deaf man. In that scene
there was empathy and compassion as He was dealing with one more example of the
results of the Fall and an illustration of the brokenness of the world under
the curse. Adam’s rebellion plunged the world into its current state. Jesus
looked at the deaf man and “sighed.” The
same root word is used here, but in this case, it is made more intensive with a
prefix added [anastenazo], “sighed
deeply.” We see words from this root in a couple of interesting places in
the Greek translation of the Old Testament Scriptures (the Septuagint). For
example, we read in Lamentations 1:3-4,
3 Judah has gone into exile because of affliction and hard servitude; she
dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place; her pursuers have all
overtaken her in the midst of her distress.
4 The roads to Zion mourn, for none come to the festival; all
her gates are desolate; her priests groan; her virgins have been
afflicted, and she herself suffers bitterly.
In context of the Exile, we see groaning
and mourning, longing for deliverance and restoration, for the “rest” in the
land that God had promised. We see similar language back in Exodus 2:23-24, as the people of God,
the descendants of Jacob’s sons, groaned for His help during their enslavement
in Egypt…
23 During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned
because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from
slavery came up to God. 24
And God heard their groaning… (Ex 2:23-24).
We see a similar longing for
deliverance in Romans 8, from three perspectives: Creation “groans” for
restoration, we ourselves groan, and even the Spirit groans within us as He
intercedes on our behalf…
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in
the pains of childbirth until now. 23
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the
redemption of our bodies. 24
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who
hopes for what he sees? 25
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in
our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit
himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Rom 8:22-28).
The “groaning” here is a yearning for
our redemption, the full and final deliverance from this present evil age into
the New Creation that we long to fully enter. It is an inward “sigh” that
acknowledges all is not right in the world, at the same time hoping for that
for which we were created. It is pictured in Revelation as a return to Eden of
sorts in the New Heaven and the New Earth, and a restoration of face to face
fellowship with God. Jesus came to
provide that, and the Pharisees in their unbelief, still blind to all that
Jesus had done, ask for “a sign from Heaven” to test Him. Instead of a “sign”
they get a “sigh.” Their own Messiah stood before Him, and they didn’t
recognize Him, they didn’t “hear His voice,” so He “sighs deeply” at their
unbelief. J.C. Ryle said,
The feeling which our Lord Jesus
Christ here expressed, will always be the feeling of all true Christians. Grief
over the sins of others is one leading evidence of true grace. The man who is
really converted, will always regard the unconverted with pity and concern.
This was the mind of David--" I beheld the transgressors, and was
grieved." (Psalm 119: 158.) This was the mind of the godly in the days of
Ezekiel--" They sighed and cried for the abominations done in the
land." (Ezek. 9: 4.) This was the mind of Lot--"He vexed his
righteous soul with the unlawful deeds" of those around him. (2 Peter 2:
8.) This was the mind of Paul--" I have great heaviness and continual
sorrow for my brethren." (Rom. 9: 2.) In all these cases we see
something of the mind of Christ. As the great Head feels, so feel the
members. They all grieve when they see sin. [Mark,
Kindle Locations 1613-1619].
Jesus asked, “Why does this generation seek a sign?” The word “generation” [genea] can also mean “race” or “nation.”
And it seems that, for the most part, the Nation at that point in time, that generation, would follow their leaders
in their unbelief. Jesus “sighs deeply” at the brokenness of the world,
and with the weighty realization of what He had come to do. This is why He came,
to undo the fall, to remove the curse for all who would believe. A remnant would
believe—that assurance drove the plan of God forward. His sheep would hear
His voice and follow Him… they would believe. *Faith is
taking God at His Word, that is, believing who Jesus is and trusting what He
did for us.
III. What does it mean to follow Him? Jesus left the leaders in
their unbelief, continuing his preparation of the disciples and His journey
toward the cross (12b-13).
Later in this chapter Jesus will ask the disciples, and us, will we take up our
cross and follow Him?
“…Truly, I say to you, no
sign will be given to this generation.” 13
And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.
Jesus did not do “signs on demand” for anyone. He could not be
manipulated. He was not a “cosmic genie” there to do anyone’s bidding. It seems
that the miracles He did were always acts of compassion. As He met needy people
on the way He was touched by their needs and mercifully acted with divine power.
The miracles were both “signs” that strengthened the faith of his followers,
while also giving a glimpse of the future, a look ahead to the restoration that
would come through the unfolding plan of God. His death and resurrection would be the
climactic sign that would both confirm the faith of the disciples and reveal
the unbelief of the leaders of the people. John 3:2 shows us that from
early in His ministry, some of the leaders were having their minds opened to
the Truth. Nicodemus notably confessed,
“We know that you are a teacher come from
God, for no one can do the signs that you do unless God is with him!” Even
so, the majority of the counsel rejected Him, and with increasing hostility
revealed their spiritual blindness. Here the Pharisees come and ask for a “sign
from heaven.” They had seen His miracles before, and they rejected them as
being evidence of the work of God. How could this man be from God when he
rejected the traditions of the fathers! Incredibly,
in Mk 3:22, they claimed that His miracle working power was not from God, but
from the devil!
“And the scribes who came down from
Jerusalem were saying, ‘He is possessed by Beelzebul,’ and ‘by the prince of
demons he casts out the demons.’”
What blindness! Now these Pharisees
appear (according to Matthew’s Gospel, some Sadducees with them) asking for a “sign from heaven.” They had seen the
miracles of Jesus before, what more did they want? The context here in Mark
makes it clear: they were “testing Him.” They weren’t looking for
evidence to believe, but confirmed in their unbelief they sought a reason to
accuse him! What would convince them? Would the resurrection be the proof they
needed to change their minds? Jesus had predicted their response in the story of
the rich man and Lazarus, let’ pick
it up at Luke 16:22…
….The poor man died and was carried
by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment,
he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, 'Father
Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in
water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.'
25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received
your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is
comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order
that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross
from there to us.'
27 And he said, 'Then I beg you,
father, to send him to my father's house-
28 for I have five brothers- so that he may warn them, lest
they also come into this place of torment.'
29 But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let
them hear them.' 30 And he
said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will
repent.' 31 He said to him,
'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if
someone should rise from the dead.'" (Luke
16:19-31).
What was Jesus saying? They have the written Word, God has
spoken through Moses and the Prophets. If they won’t take God at His Word, no
evidence, no “sign,” not even someone rising from the dead, is going to
convince them. Don’t get me wrong, our faith is “reasonable.” It is not blind
faith. The resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact that cannot simply be
explained away. The transformed lives of the apostles, after the resurrection
and Pentecost, makes no sense unless their testimony is true (see also the
conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor who became the proclaimer of truth!).
Faith requires divine intervention, it is a gift of God, so no one can boast!
What is God saying to me in this passage? Faith is taking God at His Word,
that is, believing who Jesus is and trusting what He did for us.
What would God have me to do in response to this passage? If you are reading this and it
rings true, if it stirs your heart, it may be that God, by His kindness, is
leading you to repentance and faith. Are you hearing the voice of the Good
Shepherd? Do you feel drawn to follow Him? Mark is telling us who Jesus is,
and reminding us what He came to do. God was, in Christ, reconciling the world
to Himself! He so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that
whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life! The promise of Scripture is clear: “Confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and
believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, and you shall be
saved!” You can express that to Him right now in a simple prayer… and God’s
promise is that “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Today
is the day of salvation!
It is true that He came to provide reconciliation and redemption through
the Cross as our sin-bearer. He has also committed to us the message of
reconciliation. He has chosen, through the foolishness of the message
preached to save those who believe. We’ve been talking over the last couple
of years about our calling to be His witnesses in this fallen world. First of all,
to our friends, relatives and neighbors. And now I’m saying that we have a
minor obstacle as we engage that mission: no amount of logic and reasoning is
going to bring someone to faith. Paul said, “The natural person does not
accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is
not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (I Cor
2:14).
We certainly can’t argue anyone into the Kingdom of God! Divine intervention is necessary. Faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ. Jesus said, “My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Remember the
parable of the soils? Some seed will take root, and bring forth life and
fruitfulness. So, keep sowing, and be encouraged, God causes the growth!
Jesus is building His church. AMEN.
Comments
Post a Comment