The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.
In a Nutshell
Mark sums this up in three words: Jesus groaned deeply.
Questions
Think about the meaning of Jesus' deep groan?
Do you ever groan like that? When?
Do you think Mark is a good story teller? He tells his story as it was for him. His words tell us how he thought about it years later when he wrote it down. What was he thinking about when he told the story of these religious leaders' demands?
These religious leaders couldn't face up to what Jesus was saying and doing. It was too much of a challenge. It is sad that people could have been so determined to confront Jesus and reject Him. The 4 thousand had been fed back over on the other side of the lake and Mark says that the religious leaders came up to Him and demanded that He give them proof, a sign that He was someone special.
No doubt they had heard about the crowds coming to Jesus. Some were starting to think about who they were in God's eyes. They had become teachable. This meant that they were beginning to think about what the Pharisees were saying and doing. Jesus had put these religious leaders on notice. So, these leaders decided it was time to mount a challenge. They started an argument, a debate. It was a diversion. They tried hard to become part of the large social movement which had grown up around Jesus to change its direction.
And what did Jesus do?He didn't debate with them. He groaned. Jesus groaned.
In his home town the people refused to accept Him and He could
do no healing. Then He marvelled (εθέθαύμασεν).
Remember? It was as if the fact that they did not believe Him was a kind of
miracle. Remember? And when He cured the man with the withered hand
in his home-town synagogue and He was confronted with the hardness of heart of
the religious leaders He
was grieved (συλλυπούμενος)
[3:5]. But here He was groaning (άναστενάξας).
This went deep. He was sort of deeply frustrated with those guys. This is what
He said. It went something like this: What is it
with you? Don't you realise that seeking a sign is to go down a path which
misses God's Kingdom? Even if a sign is there right in front of your noses,
your eyes don't see it because you don't live by faith. No, you're not getting
a sign.
He was telling them that the Kingdom of God is not a matter of argument. There may be times when it is right to argue; a time for putting forward arguments and counter-arguments, all the views, all the other views and the other "other" views. But, Jesus was saying, for those who just want to debate and argue there will not be any sign. Forget it. And then Jesus walked away. He knew it would not be restful there. He left and they went back to the other side of Lake Galilee again.