Topical Bible: The Pharisees: Christ: Asked for Signs By
Topical Encyclopedia
The Pharisees were a prominent religious group in Judea during the time of Jesus Christ. Known for their strict adherence to the Law of Moses and the oral traditions, the Pharisees often found themselves in opposition to Jesus, whose teachings and actions challenged their interpretations and authority.
One significant aspect of the Pharisees' interactions with Jesus was their repeated demand for signs to validate His claims and authority. This request for signs is documented in several instances in the Gospels, highlighting the tension between Jesus and the Pharisaic leaders.
In the Gospel of Matthew, the Pharisees, along with the Sadducees, approached Jesus, seeking a sign from heaven to test Him. Jesus responded by rebuking their inability to interpret the "signs of the times" and declared, "A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah" (Matthew 16:4). Here, Jesus refers to His future resurrection as the ultimate sign, paralleling Jonah's three days in the belly of the great fish.
Similarly, in the Gospel of Mark, the Pharisees came to Jesus and began to argue with Him, seeking a sign from heaven to test Him. Jesus sighed deeply in His spirit and said, "Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation" (Mark 8:12). This response underscores Jesus' frustration with their persistent unbelief and their failure to recognize the signs already present in His ministry.
The Gospel of Luke also records an instance where the Pharisees, along with the crowds, demanded a sign. Jesus addressed them, saying, "This is a wicked generation. It demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah" (Luke 11:29). Jesus emphasized that the people of Nineveh repented at Jonah's preaching, and something greater than Jonah was present in Him.
The Pharisees' request for signs reflects their spiritual blindness and hardness of heart. Despite witnessing numerous miracles and hearing Jesus' teachings, they remained skeptical and resistant to His message. Their demand for signs was not born out of genuine faith or a desire to understand, but rather as a means to challenge and discredit Jesus.
In these encounters, Jesus consistently pointed to the "sign of Jonah" as the ultimate evidence of His divine mission. This sign, representing His death, burial, and resurrection, would stand as the definitive proof of His identity as the Messiah and the Son of God. The Pharisees' inability to accept this sign highlights their failure to recognize the fulfillment of God's promises in Jesus Christ.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Matthew 12:38
Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Matthew 16:1
The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Library
Christ's Conversation with the Pharisees in Regard to the Mode of ...
... It may be asked whether the Pharisees, in putting this ... 356] and likewise those of
the Pharisees; but thine ... eg, the sense of separation from Christ, which may ...
/.../section 137 christs conversation with.htm
Christ's Discourse against the Merely Outward Cleanliness of the ...
... Peter, as spokesman for the disciples, asked an explanation ... In reply, Christ first
expressed his surprise that ... awake their scruples as well as the Pharisees'. ...
/.../section 173 christs discourse against.htm
The Signs of the Times
... eminent as ever the Sadducees, yea, or the Pharisees were, do ... 4. But may it not be
asked, "Are there now any ... of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 66 the signs of.htm
Interview of Christ with Nicodcmus.
... the arrogant self-righteousness of the Pharisees as against ... the figure and the thing,
and he asked, "How can ... But Christ confirms what he had said, and explains ...
/.../section 119 interview of christ.htm
The Manner in which Christ Served.
... Capernaum: and being in the house He asked them, What ... they sent unto Him certain
of the Pharisees, and of ... of the uniqueness and perfectness of Christ's service ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/why four gospels/iii the manner in which.htm
The Feeding of the Four Thousand - to Dalmanutha - the Sign from ...
... provision of their wants by Christ was not a sign,' such as the Pharisees had asked,
but what faith might ever expect from Christ, when following after ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxxvi the feeding of.htm
Whether it was Fitting that Christ Should Work Miracles in the ...
... and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for ... But there is no record of Christ
having worked any ... His lifetime: nay, more; when the Pharisees asked Him to ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether it was fitting that 9.htm
The First Per??an Discourses - to the Pharisees Concerning the Two ...
... in that of His Galilean Ministry, repeat, when asked for instruction ... and morally
the Words of Christ were unanswerable; and the Pharisees fell back ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xi the first peraean.htm
Results of Christ's Manifestation.
... believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did ... echoed back from an unanswering
void, until Christ comes and ... And if it be asked, as among the Jews it ...
/.../v results of christs manifestation.htm
The Contemptuous Rejection.
... eyes of his hundreds of hearers"Pharisees, Sadducees, official ... The angry leaders
had critically asked for "signs" of ... the propriety of "the Christ" using such ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks about jesus/the contemptuous rejection.htm
Resources
If Jesus condemned the Pharisees for praying out loud, should we pray aloud? | GotQuestions.org
Who were the Herodians? | GotQuestions.org
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