GOD SIGHTINGS

Matthew 15:29-16:12. I love the juxtaposition of “the people” with “the Pharisees and Sadducees” in this passage. It begins with “the people” in 15:30, Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. Then Jesus feeds the 4,000.

Chapter 16:1ff, The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but note will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”

Then, as Jesus and the disciples crossed the lake by boat, the disciples were confused when Jesus warned them about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They thought he was rebuking them for forgetting to bring bread for their crossing. In effect, Jesus tells them, “You ought to know by now that I am not talking to you about natural things like bread but spiritual things.” Jesus wanted them to avoid falling into the same trap that the Jewish leaders had already fallen into.

“The people” were perceptive enough to recognize that Jesus was from God. They praised the God of Israel when they saw the signs and wonders he was performing. The Jewish leaders missed all that. Oh, they were there! They saw the signs. But they did not perceive the spiritual nature of what Jesus was doing.

We need to pay heed to Jesus’ warning about the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. God is constantly at work around us and if we have eyes to see and ears to hear we will grasp the spiritual significance of what he is about in our world. We don’t need to ask for signs. He’s already given us all the signs we need and he is still working every day all around us. May the Holy Spirit make us sensitive so we will be able to have “God sightings” each day! And may the Holy Spirit enable us to jump in and serve God’s kingdom when we see his hand at work among us!