Waiting For A Sign

Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. “Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn’t brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying, so he said, “You have so little faith! Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? Don’t you understand even yet? Don’t you remember the 5,000 I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up? Why can’t you understand that I’m not talking about bread? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’” Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about the yeast in bread, but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. [Matthew 16.5-12]

Never for a moment did the Pharisees and Sadducees think they were deceiving anyone. The source of their disposition against Jesus was that they weren't entirely convinced He was Who He said He was. They wanted a sign. In Mark's Gospel about this same event, the yeast is described as that of "the Pharisees and Herod," no doubt because Herod too wanted a sign from Jesus - regardless how many miracles had already been performed.

As seen in the Matthew chapter 4 account of Jesus' temptation, Satan seemed set on getting Jesus to perform a sign too...

And yet, Jesus performed miracle after miracle to help people, encouraging them to believe and oftentimes scolding them for their lack of faith.

Fast forward to today. I attend a "full gospel" church where the power of God not only to save, but to heal and deliver, is actively taught and preached. There are those who embrace the "full gospel" however there are also those who excuse themselves from active pursuit of such "faith" and are content to participate in the meetings and simply observe as if waiting a sign before engaging for themselves. According to today's OYCB reading, this "waiting for a sign" - waiting for Jesus to do something - is not passive as those "waiting" presume, but instead, it is an active (teaching by doing) work of deception.

The deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees (and Herod too, for that matter) is teaching that "waits for a sign." Jesus' conclusion of this error can be summed up as follows: If you aren't obediently believing, you are wickedly deceiving - there is no innocent middle ground. Whether they realize it or not, those waiting for a sign are engaged in active and wicked deception just like the tiniest bit of yeast permeates an entire lump of dough.

As it was when Jesus walked the earth, so it is today: "waiting for a sign" - waiting for Jesus to do something we've been told to do - is a highly infectious disease that is, in fact, deceptive, and therefore damnable unbelief.

The cure for this disease of unbelief is simply this: Believe in Jesus Christ.

Jesus' life, death and resurrection tell us everything we need to know to obediently live God-pleasing lives of faith ourselves.

If, however, we are ignorant of Jesus' life, death and resurrection - if we are ignorant of God's Incarnate Word - if we don't remember - we too, will likely comfort ourselves in the deceptive practice of waiting for a sign - waiting for Jesus to do something. Not only do we suffer ourselves when waiting for a sign, but we actively and deceptively teach unbelief to others.

While it seems innocent enough to wait for Jesus to do something, we must remember that in the context of the first hungry crowd of 5000 men, Jesus told His disciples, "You feed them." In the next crowd of 4000, Jesus dropped a hint giving the disciples the opportunity to step up, but they missed it again thus leading to the warning Jesus declared about waiting for a sign (oh yeah, because food was an issue) - waiting around for Jesus to do something (the yeast of the Pharisee and Sadducees).

How serious did this subject just become?

Father, thank You, I have all the signs I need in Jesus' life, death and resurrection. May I be found in faith in every situation - actively believing that I am in Christ and He is in me. May I look at every "mountain" as nothing more than a grain of sand! May I be delivered from the poison yeast of waiting for a sign - waiting for Jesus to do something. May I be busy about the works of Jesus not waiting around for Him to do it ...AGAIN! So be it.