One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.” But Jesus replied, “Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” (NLT)

As I read the verses above, I thought that Jesus’ response was quite strong, so I dove deeper into the scripture to understand His response! I found that just before our passage in verse 22, Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and deaf, which rightfully astonished the people, but the Pharisees were not satisfied and wanted another miraculous sign! They were trying to manipulate Jesus into an “either/or” trap. Either Jesus performs another miracle, and the Pharisees will believe that He is the Messiah, or Jesus does not perform the miracle, and they have evidence that He is not the Messiah. Jesus sees their attempt to manipulate Him and immediately calls them evil, adding that they are an adulterous generation due to their spiritual adultery for not being faithful to God.

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Jesus did not enter their trap! He spoke strong words without giving them a miraculous sign, but He did give them a sort of sign in the form of a mysterious statement: Jesus alludes to His own death and resurrection in calling attention to Jonah’s three days and nights in the belly of a great fish. The Pharisees would be familiar with the story of Jonah and with Jesus referring to himself as the Son of Man, but the three days and nights in the heart of the earth would be a mystery to them. This “sign of Jonah” would be the clearest proof that Jesus is the Messiah and is the first time Jesus foretells of His resurrection. Jesus responds harshly and vaguely, likely because the Pharisees were not seeking faith in God but power to manipulate and trap Jesus.

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Am I, like a Pharisee, seeking signs and miracles from Jesus more than Jesus Himself?

I can think of a few times that I have asked Jesus for a miracle. The one that I most vividly remember is sitting on the floor in my living room, crying and talking to Diane, my college roommate, who was dying from ovarian cancer. We were reading Scripture and praying. As I read Luke 10:19 which says that Jesus has “given us authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you,” I imagined Jesus trampling every cancer cell in her body because I wanted a healing miracle. Then she quietly, but with deep conviction, said to me, “I no longer ask God why I am not being healed, because I have faith and know that He is in control!” Diane’s faith in God freed her from needing a healing miracle, but He actually had given us a miracle that I didn’t recognize yet! After her death, I realized that the real miracle was the supernatural peace that Diane had about dying. We first sought Jesus in our prayer time together, and then He did give us a miracle!        

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I was then reminded of my “Holy Spirit pings” that often bring me peace and joy! Meditating on Proverbs 9:10 - “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” - has given me encouragement in my spiritual growth. In the beginning of my spiritual journey, I intensely respected and revered God, akin to a fear of the Lord, because I did not deeply know Him yet. As my relationship with God grew and I began to know Him more deeply, I would experience “goosebumps” when I felt His presence or Him speaking to my soul. I started calling these goosebumps my “Holy Spirit pings” because they nudge me to be aware of His presence and feel like a confirmation from God that I am growing in my understanding of Him and being more faithful.  

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What I’m learning is that awareness of His miracles comes from time in His presence.  I know now from my experiences that I must first pursue Jesus! Then, I can be aware and understand how He is working so I can recognize signs and miracles. I’ve also learned that miracles can look different than what I am looking for. I almost missed Diane’s miracle of supernatural peace because I was looking for my own idea of a miracle. The Pharisees also missed believing the miracles they had seen, demanding a specific kind of miracle without pursuing God himself.  

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So, how do you answer our question? Are you, like the Pharisees, seeking signs and miracles from Jesus more than Jesus Himself?

Jesus, I want to SEEK You. I want to KNOW You! I thank you for the evidence of Your miracles and the faith of those who received miracles in the Bible. I thank you for the miracles that you still perform and pray for a heart to see them! Reveal yourself to me. Keep growing my faith and teaching me about You. If I start to only look for signs and miracles instead of seeking You, guide me back to a path of knowing You more! I love You, Jesus! Amen.