Red Letter Bible Study--Matthew 16:1-12 (Leaders demand a miraculous sign)

 Matthew 16:1-12 (Mark 8:11-21)

The Pharisees and Sadducees had a lot in common, but their fundamental difference is how they accepted the word of God.  The Pharisees, a more religious sect,  held to both the written word of God and oral tradition.  The Saduccees, a more political sect, held to the written word of God alone.  Here they are together, both demanding a sign from Jesus, a test of His authority.  Jesus replied that they know how to read the weather by looking around, but they can't see what's unfolding before them.  He calls them evil and faithless toward God for asking for a sign, instead of seeing the foreshadowing in Old Testament accounts, such as Jonah.  Jesus then warns the disciples of the "leaven" of these groups.  The disciples, having forgotten to buy bread, are confused about the warning.  Jesus, referring to them by their small faith, questions how they can miss such an obvious allusion to spiritual bread, not physical food.  He was warning them about the teaching of these two groups.  

I love how Mark puts it in his account "Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit."  Jesus is being questioned by the religious leaders, those who have (allegedly) devoted their lives to studying the scripture.  Yet here they are, trying to trick Him and trip Him up.  The sign of Jonah, who was in the belly of the whale for 3 days, was a picture of Christ Jesus, laying His life down and 3 days later picking it back up again.  Jesus tells them that's their sign and it's enough.  Jesus just a few chapters ago taught His disciples about the parable of the yeast, how it just took a little untruth to spread untruth through the whole thing.  He asked them if they understood, and they said YES.  (I bet He sighed in His spirit at them too.)  Then at last they understood.  

If I'm being completely transparent, I will admit that I know I've caused Jesus to sigh in His spirit at me, too.  I can't be judgmental of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, or the disciples when I look closely at my own reaction to the teachings of Jesus.  I know I've asked for a sign before, something to show that God is really leading me a certain direction.  And God has honored requests for signs before, such as in the story of Gideon in the Old Testament.  But as Christians today, with the completed word of God in our hands, we shouldn't need Jesus to give us a sign to prove His authority.  He has proven His authority by His life, His death, and His resurrection.  Everything we need to know is in the Bible.  And when we start to put any other teaching above that, no matter how well-written or well-meaning, we've just added leaven and undermined the whole thing.  His story is enough.