Looking For A Sign

My brother and I were in Paris several years ago and we wanted to go up the Eiffel Tower. We had made our way to the Trocadero, so all we had to do is walk the last 1.2 kilometers. Did we need a sign pointing the way to the Eiffel Tower? You be the judge. The picture above, is the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero! It was right in front of us. We didn’t have to use our “ok” French to ask anyone for directions. We didn’t need a sign. It was obvious! And that’s what this next passage is really all about. Here, Jesus walking amongst the people, fulfilling Scripture, healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons, preaching and teaching… They were looking right at Him, yet there were still those who wanted a sign.

Vs 14-19 Now He was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon came out, the man who had been mute, spoke, and the crowds were amazed. But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons!” And others, as a test, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges.

Unless you have a little background of the day, you may not fully appreciate what has happened here. This is no “ordinary” driving out of a demon. Jesus had done that before a few times. This was unusual because of the belief in Jesus’ day that, before you could cast out a demon, you had to make it reveal it’s name. They believed demons could not be cast out of a mute person because it couldn’t reveal it’s name. For Jesus to not require that was absolutely amazing. Who was this Jesus who could cast out demons even though it hadn’t reveled it’s name. The crowd was divided on that. Which kingdom was Jesus from? The kingdom of God or of Beelzebul?

We first encounter the name Beelzebul in 2 Kings 1. The meaning of the name is “Lord of the Flies”. If you ever read the book “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, he said the title came from these verses. It refers to Satan being the lord of the flies, or demons. They couldn’t explain how Jesus cast a demon out of a mute person, so, they thought, perhaps, he could be a minion of Satan. Head shaking stuff! Jesus explains to them, for him to cast out demons by Beelzebul would mean Satan would be divided against himself. He may be evil, but he isn’t stupid. If you want your kingdom to stand, you don’t go against yourself. An example from history is after Alexander the Great died. He had no heirs, so the kingdom was divided between his generals. After that, it only took a few years for the central state of Persia to collapse and be replaced by competing states. Jesus was reminding the people, you can’t fight amongst yourselves and expect a kingdom to stand. Let the religious leaders of the day, who also drove out demons, be the judge. If they accuse Him of being in league with Beelzebul, wouldn’t they be as well? I’m sure this kept those guys quiet! To those who wanted a sign, Jesus says:

Vs 20-23 If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his possessions are secure. But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowers him, he takes from him all his weapons he trusted in, and divides up his plunder. Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters.

He makes it very clear. He is doing this by the hand of God. He, like the Eiffel Tower for my brother and myself, was standing right in front of them. He had just cast out a demon who had not given it’s name. Why do they need another sign? The sign was staring right at them. And so Jesus tells them the consequences of their unbelief? “Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters.” Jesus continues is explanation:

Vs 24-28 “When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it roams through waterless places looking for rest, and not finding rest, it then says, ‘I’ll go back to my house where I came from.’ And returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that man’s last condition is worse than the first.” As He was saying these things, a woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “The womb that bore You and the one who nursed You are blessed!” He said, “Even more, those who hear the word of God and keep it are blessed!”

Just in case there were those in the crowd who stayed neutral, this is what happens. They didn’t say anything out loud, but they still did not believe what was standing right there. They still needed another sign to believe. They wanted proof. They are like a man cleansed of the demon, but not filled up with faith and belief. The demon has left for a while, but comes back and sees the house empty. Nothing else has come to take its place, so he gathers his friends and comes on back in. Now the man’s condition is worse. This is what unbelief will do. This is what comes of being neither being hot or cold. Revelation 3:15-16 says, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth.” There is nothing worse than neutral faith. Needing constant proof and signs to continue in your belief. If you can’t see the Eiffel Tower when it’s right there in front of you, you are never going to see it.

The spontaneous response is from a woman in the crowd who understands and wants to bless Jesus. Obviously He is a great person, therefore, His mother is surely a blessed woman. Jesus’ answer reminds the crowd – “Even more, those who hear the word of God and keep it are blessed!” In other words, those who believe, those with faith, those who don’t need a sign every step of the way, they are the ones who are truly blessed. But, for those who need a sign, here’s one:

The Sign of Jonah

Vs 29-32 As the crowds were increasing, He began saying: “This generation is an evil generation. It demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and look—something greater than Solomon is here! The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s proclamation, and look—something greater than Jonah is here!

I will give you a sign, says Jesus – the sign of Jonah. Jesus had given the people many signs, but they weren’t looking for signs He was giving. They wanted a sign that would show Jesus could set them free physically from Rome. They didn’t want to be set free spiritually. Jesus had just stated, “those who hear the word of God and keep it are blessed!” He would only give them the sign of Jonah, the reluctant prophet who became a sign to the people of Nineveh. God was able to use Jonah to bring the people of Nineveh to repentance, and Jesus came, willingly, to be a sign pointing people back to God and His word. They were looking for a temporary fix, a short-term freedom, a passing security, but Jesus was giving them an eternal solution. Then comes the real bite – the queen of the south and the men of Nineveh would rise up at the judgment. These were Gentiles who accepted the message of God that would stand in the judgment day, while those who were witnesses to the Son of God did not. Jesus tells them the queen of the south sought out Solomon and Jonah was used in a mighty way to turn the hearts of Nineveh to God. Yet, they did not see that someone greater was standing amongst them.

Vs 33-36 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in the cellar or under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see its light. Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light. But when it is bad, your body is also full of darkness. Take care then, that the light in you is not darkness. If, therefore, your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be entirely illuminated, as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

Jesus continues to explain to those who still do not believe. Just like the lamp needs to be displayed in the open, the word and work of God needs to be displayed in your life for all to see. “Those who hear the word of God and keep it are blessed!” The Greek word for keep is phulassó which means to guard, watch and observe. The word of God cannot only be heard, it has to be internalized – kept. It has to be watched carefully – you have to guard it from invasion. It has to be observed – keep your eyes focused on it. If you just keep the word for yourself though, it would be like putting the light under a basket or in the cellar. What good is that? No, you must shine the light brightly on lampstand so all can see. Your eyes are the light of your body and they need to shine out the light of God’s word. If they don’t you are full of darkness and no one can see God through you.

Just as my brother and I didn’t need a sign to take us to the Eiffel Tower, we should not need a sign that takes us to Christ. He has fulfilled every promise, and has done all He was called to do. On the cross He said, “It is Finished“. There was nothing else he needed to do. He is all the sign we need to find our way to God. We have to remember and practice His words – Those who hear the word of God and keep are blessed! “In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven,” Matthew 5:16.