Mark 8 - 12.19.24

S - 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 sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” 13 Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. Mark 8:11-13

O – Mark 8 shows us Jesus’ continued ministry. After taking a roundabout way back to Galilee through Decapolis, Jesus returned to Dalmanutha where Jewish leaders questioned his authority before he continues to Bethsaida and Caesarea. In this chapter, the Pharisees had tried to explain away Jesus’ previous miracles by claiming they were done by luck, coincidence, or evil power.  They demanded a sign from heaven, something only God could do. Jesus refused their demand because he knew that even this kind of miracle would not convince them. They had already decided not to believe. Hearts can become so hard that even the most convincing facts and demonstrations will not change them.

A – I love Mark as we get to read again and again, all the miracles, healings and ministry that Jesus did. He never gave up, said he was too tired, or too busy. When I read about the Pharisees asking for yet another miracle or sign, I think to myself, “How much more do you need?! You have seen miracle after miracle, healing after healing.”  But then I think about how often we do that! We ask for signs and miracles, yet He has NOTHING to prove.  We tend to forget the miracles He has done in our lives already. Where is the faith Mary talked about in her post on Tuesday? She referenced John 20:29  Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

 I don’t want to test Jesus. I want to have a faith that trusts in Him alone because He has already proven who He is countless times. He owes me nothing! He has taken me from the death I deserve as a sinner and given me a new life, new purpose, and a faith and a hope I never had without Him. THAT is all I need to know.  I want to stay focused on what He has already done and not on what I want Him to do.

P – Lord help us not be a generation that continuously asks you for signs and miracles, but instead believes in you because of the faith that we have that you are who you say you are and that alone can be trusted.  Forgive me for any times that we doubt you and your powerful presence. Lord I thank you for all that you have done in my life, for the way you use me to minister to others, for the miracles you perform every single day, whether we see them or not.

- Crystal Flory