The Demand for a Sign
The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus[a] they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then he left them and went away.
~ Matthew 16:1-4 (NRSVUE)
Today’s scripture is interesting because it basically starts with the well-known phrase, “Red skies at night sailors delight. Red skies in morning, sailors take warning.” And it’s filled with signs from the very beginning.
As we heard just a few minutes ago, today’s reading began with the words, “The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test Jesus, they…”
Now the Pharisees and Sadducees were not usually groups that worked together. They were both religious groups within Judaism during the time of Jesus. Both groups honored Moses and the Law, and they both had their own political standing and power. But religiously, the Sadducees were much more conservative. They insisted on a literal interpretation of the Torah, while the Pharisees gave oral tradition equal authority to the written Word of God.
Now given their differing view of Scripture, it’s no surprise that they argued a lot and didn’t often see eye to eye. Can you imagine political parties acting like that? While the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead and taught of the existence of angels and demons in a spiritual realm, the Sadducees did neither. Socially, the Sadducees were more elitist and aristocratic than the Pharisees. The Sadducees tended to be wealthy and to hold more powerful positions. They were friendlier with Rome and more accommodating to Roman laws. They were the chief priests and high priests, and their power was in the temple in Jerusalem. The Pharisees represented the common working people. They had the respect of the masses, and rather than the temple in Jerusalem, they controlled the local synagogues.
Why am I telling you all of this? Because hearing that Pharisees and Sadducees were agreeing and working together on something was a huge sign that something big was happening. And signs happen to be just what they were talking about today. Scripture says that together they approached Jesus, asking him to show them a sign from heaven thus proving who he was and his connection to the divine. But signs don’t work that way, do they?
Now I know there are people out there who believe in signs, holy spirit moments, glimpses of God, and moments when the veil between heaven and earth is thin. And there are people who simply don’t because they think it’s all just coincidence. And signs are a bunch of “woo-woo.” But as I often say when I talk to grieving families, maybe when we see a cardinal or a dragonfly or a special song comes on the radio, it IS just a coincidence. And maybe it’s true that we’re looking for signs, so we see them. But just maybe, those we love are nearer to us than we realize. Maybe love is vaster than the limits of our understanding. Maybe signs, Holy Spirit moments, glimpses of God, and moments when the veil between heaven and earth is thin are truly gifts of grace. It’s not something we can ever prove; all we can do is simply believe.
Folks, as a people of faith, we don’t need to see miracles and signs to believe, but we often see miracles and signs because we believe. The problem that the Pharisees and the Sadducees have in today’s story and the problem that many people have in today’s world is they want to be in control of the signs and the mystery and the holy experiences they have. They want the ability to turn them on and off at their pleasure, and to be honest, it just doesn’t work that way. Many times, I think it’s because we can’t control them. It’s because we can’t turn them on and off when we want to, and it’s because they surprise us and fill us with a sacred sense of awe that makes them so special.
It’s like seeing a rainbow in the sky. What makes rainbows so exciting is that they are not something that we can plan on seeing. They just, sometimes, simply appear. Now sure we know the science behind them. We know that water droplets in the air act as tiny prisms for the sunlight, but we never know when the moment will be right and they’ll appear.
I wonder, have you ever been outside just after a rainstorm, and you can just tell that there has to be a rainbow somewhere because the sky just seems right? So you search and wait and watch each corner of the sky, and sometimes you see one, and sometimes you don’t. But the truth is when you are lucky or blessed enough to see one, all you can do is stop and look and appreciate it. It’s not something that you can possess or own or take for yourself. And even if you try to take a picture of it, you never capture the entire beauty of it.
The picture on our bulletin cover this morning was taken by my brother at Manchester Reservoir earlier in the week. It is a picture of an amazing rainbow that people seemed to have seen and taken pictures of all around the Attleboro area last week.
Friends, I guess when you think about it, rainbows are kind of like the grace of God, aren’t they? Like a sign, or a Holy Spirit Moment, or a time when the veil between heaven and earth is thin, they are all gifts. And like God’s grace, there is nothing that we can ever do to deserve them or earn them. All we can do is simply receive them.
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as you go out into your busy week ahead, and out into the beauty of God’s amazing creation, remember we don’t need to see signs and miracles to believe, but we often see signs and miracles because we believe. So, look, and watch, and listen. Because you never know when God might step in and share a glimpse of grace or a preview of heaven right here on earth!
My friends, may it be so. Thanks be to God, Amen!
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