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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Friday, May 13, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Pharisees and Sadducees Demand Signs Bible Verse:Matthew 16:1-4 (ESV) "And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him 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 seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed. " Message:
The word “sign” sometimes has a narrow and special significance in the New Testament, or in literature commenting on the life of Christ; but it is also used in a more general sense — just think of the expression, “it’s a sign from God,” to understand the general meaning. The distinction between the two meanings is subtle and must be gleaned from the context.
God talks to Amos on a wall
God speaks to Amos
In its more general sense, sign has a number of synonyms, such as “miracle”, “wonder”, or “work”. It is a generic term for an unnatural occurrence, intentionally created by God, to convey a message of divine intention to humanity. Usually signs are generated solely by God’s will; almost never will God give a sign at the request of a person. There are occasional exceptions, though; one that comes immediately to mind is Gideon, who asked God for signs and was given them, repeatedly. (Judges 6)
Christ, in particular, refused to prove his divinity by performing tricks on request, especially requests from the skeptical. He did not use miracles to attract followers. (Non-believers would often witness these, however, and broadcast them as miracles.) But he did use signs — and this is the narrow usage mentioned above — as teaching tools or rewards for those who believed in him, to help develop their faith, perhaps, to guide them in their gradual realization of everything that He was and stood for. The Gospel of John, in particular, focuses on Christ’s miracles as signs.
Moreover, He would fairly often perform a miraculous healing on request; but notice, these were never requests for him to prove his divinity. They were pleas from men and women of faith, who believed He could and would heal them or a loved one desperately ill.
Illuminated capital “S” showing Jonah.
An 11th century illuminated “S”
showing Jonah.
In today’s reading, the inimical Pharisees are joined by the even more inimical Sadducees, who would have come from Jerusalem to investigate a potential religious crime. Remember, the Sadducees and Pharisees were themselves deadly enemies, and their joint demand of Jesus was a case of politics making strange bedfellows.
Not only do they ask Christ to perform a miracle simply to prove his divinity; the challenge him to do so. This behavior will continue without end; when Christ was hanging on the cross, mockers challenged him to save himself by his divine power. (One could say that such challenges continue to this very day.)
The meaning of the “sign of Jonah” metaphor should be clear to Christians, for Jesus will (like Jonah) have his body swallowed by death for three days and then return. It is, Christ says, the one sign meant for all mankind, believer and unbeliever alike. But here is the essential truth of miracles as signs: even if an unbeliever witnesses a great miracle, he will still not believe, but will find some sort of rationalization to reject it. Thus, more than one sign is superfluous.
Those who profess belief in Christ often become confused about this, and it leads to ridiculous results, as with the Shroud of Turin, or someone finding an image of Jesus — as if anyone knows what He looked like — in a pumpkin or grilled cheese sandwich. Paul lambastes such expectations in 1 Corinthians 1. More specifically, though, Christ himself tells us that we should expect one and only one miracle, as sufficient to prove his divinity and his power for all time: the Resurrection.
Meditation : Prayer : Holy God, I pray to be filled with your Holy Spirit for the rest of this day. Let me go forth, walking with your Spirit in my heart, that I may be filled with the joy and energy and praise for your entire creation, thankful in the many gifts you have given me, and showing forth your light in my every word and deed. This I pray in Christ’s name,.......Amen |
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