The Exasperation of Jesus

The Exasperation of Jesus
Words of Faith 1-4-2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

Mark 8
[11] The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. [12] 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." [13] Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

The Pharisees were not asking for a miraculous sign because of their faith. They were asking out of their unbelief. They were not asking for Jesus to reveal his power. They were asking Him to prove Himself.
The religious people came and questioned Jesus. They tested Him and asked for a sign verifying that He was a prophet. They wanted to see something really flashy. Fire called down from heaven would have been nice. No one ever questioned the prophet Elijah after he called down fire to burn up a soggy bull. But Jesus is not about to get into that game. So why do we think He will be with us?
Signs are great should we ever be blessed to see them, but we must be careful about basing our faith in signs. We must be even more cautious about testing the Lord. Whether we seek a miracle or just a firm kick in the backside, our faith in Jesus as Messiah consists of being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).
The leading of God's Spirit is mostly about listening, trusting, and obeying. We start with the basics of God's Word. We discover Who He is. We do not demand that He put on a show. Such religion is arrogance.
The response of Jesus is interesting. He sighed deeply. In the last chapter, Jesus sighed deeply, but it was for a very different reason. They brought him a man who was deaf and could hardly speak. He looked up to heaven and, with a deep sigh, said to him, "Ephphatha!" which means, "Be opened!." The man's ears were opened, his tongue was loosened, and he began to speak plainly." (7:34-35).
That was a sigh of deep compassion before the Father. This time, however, the deep sigh of Jesus appears to be quite different. It is a sigh of exasperation. "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it."
We may often wonder if Jesus is getting exasperated by us. So don't miss this. The exasperation of Jesus was not over mistakes, errors, or sinful habits. His exasperation was over religion. The deep sigh of Jesus was prompted by religious people who refused to receive the Kingdom He came to proclaim among them. The exasperation of Jesus was over people who demanded a "sign" even though He had worked many miracles among them. He knew that their hunger for "signs and wonders" was insatiable.
How do we keep from exasperating Jesus? It really is straightforward. Get to know Him. He proclaims a Kingdom that has no end. He calls us to repent or turn in the direction of God. No religious arguments. No demands for a sign. Just a relationship with Jesus.

Lord, I want to walk in Your Kingdom ways. Free me from doubts that might demand a sign or follow you conditionally. Show me how to trust Your character revealed in Your Word and in the life of Your Son. Build in me the faith that trusts in Who You are rather than in what You show me or do for me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< ><> <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. The daily devotion and archive are posted at https://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/blog
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.