Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

At some point, you just have to decide, don’t you?

There are certain moments in life and decisions in life in which there is no middle ground position.

You have to decide that it’s either going to be this way, or it’s going to be that way.

You can date her and date her and date her, but at some point, you’ve just got to decide, is she going to be your wife or not?

I know of some people who manage to stretch out a four year degree over about 12 years because they just aren’t sure what they want to do.

But, at some point, you just have to choose, don’t you?

Many people come to Christ and then they go back to their life and their old friends are there and the old things that they did with their friends and the ways that they passed time, and they go back and they realize that they’ve got to decide.

They’ve got to choose.

The longer that they follow after Jesus the more clear it becomes that they won’t be able to run after Jesus with all of their hearts and try to keep those old habits so close at hand.

They have to decide, once and for all, what their lives will be built upon.

For the disciples in , the day of decision has come.

From here on the crowds and the Pharisees, are going to become increasingly hostile toward Christ.

They have witnessed Jesus do miraculous things, and they have known from him a love that is patient, kind, and longsuffering.

But, Matthew has pointed out to us that the disciples are at least sympathetic toward the Pharisees and are worried when they believe that they have offended them.

They still don’t seem certain as to what exactly to make of Jesus.

They are yet to identify him as the Christ.

But, it is clear.

They are going to have to choose.

They are going to have to decide if they’re going to press on with Jesus, or if Jesus’ way of discipleship is too extreme and to radical.

Some consider to be the most important chapter in all of this Gospel.

It is at hinge point in Jesus’ ministry as He presses on ever closer to the cross.

God’s Word

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The Pharisees and Sadducees Came to Test Him

“And the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test him.”

Jesus gets on to a boat, and after a remarkable and merciful ministry in Gentile country, he heads back into a predominately Jewish region.

And, waiting on him is a group of Pharisees and Sadducees, as though they were expecting him and are ready to pounce.

And, this is an interesting contingency of people.

The Pharisees and Sadducees despised one another.

They were both Jewish, but they had completely different views of the Jewish faith and completely different outlooks on life.

This is the democrats and the republicans of Jesus’ day.

They served together on the ruling council, called the Sanhedrin, which was often filled with tension and division.

But, here they appear united.

Very likely, they have been sent out from the Sanhedrin with the purpose of putting this ministry of Jesus finally to rest, and so they are brought together by their common hatred for Jesus.

After all, nothing brings people together like a common enemy.

They Asked for a Sign

“they asked him to show them a sign from heaven” Having come to Jesus, they make a demand of him.

They demand from him a sign from heaven that proves that He is in fact the Messiah and not just another miracle working prophet.

And, Jesus rebukes them for it.

Jesus says, "You may understand how to read the weather by looking at the sky, but you cannot see God when He is right in front of your face."

What other signs could they possibly see?

There are people being carried to Jesus on a mat that are walking away from Jesus with perfect legs.

There are people that are terminally sick and on the edge of death that Jesus is healing by merely speaking on their behalf.

There is some 40,000 people between Galilee and the Decapolis that can give testimony to the fact that Jesus miraculously fed them.

Not only that, but for these religiously educated men, it should be even more clear.

Jesus has healed in exact fulfillment of and 35 so that even the Gentiles are praising the God of Israel, just as God said would be the case with the Messiah.

So, what other sign could they see?

The Messiah had come, but they did not see him.

They wanted a sign from Jesus, tempting him to justify himself to them by some miraculous means, when Jesus, following the will of his Father had already given them more signs with more witnesses than they could count.

In fact, it is fair for us to say that Jesus himself in his virgin birth and ministry of mercy was the sign himself, but they had totally missed it.

Their hearts were too hard.

Having come to Jesus, they make a demand of him.

They demand from him a sign from heaven that proves that He is in fact the Messiah and not just another miracle working prophet.

And, Jesus rebukes them for it.

Jesus says, "You may understand how to read the weather by looking at the sky, but you cannot see God when He is right in front of your face."

You're looking for a sign, and there are signs everywhere.

The lame are walking, the mute are talking, the blind are seeing, the hungry are eating, exactly as Isiah had said that they would.

It was right in front of their faces, and yet they could not perceive it.

They were asking for a sign from Jesus to justify his claims to be the Messiah, and yet they were missing all that was right in front of him.

The Messiah had come, but they did not see him.

They wanted a sign from Jesus, tempting him to justify himself to them by some miraculous means, when Jesus, following the will of his Father had already given them more signs with more witnesses than they could count.

In fact, it is fair for us to say that Jesus himself in his virgin birth and ministry of mercy was the sing himself, but they had totally missed it.

Their hearts were too hard.

What other signs could they possibly see?

There are people being carried to Jesus on a mat that are walking away from Jesus with perfect legs.

There are people that are terminally sick and on the edge of death that Jesus is healing by merely speaking on their behalf.

There is some 40,000 people between Galilee and the Decapolis that can give testimony to the fact that Jesus miraculously fed them.

Not only that, but for these religiously educated men, it should be even more clear.

Jesus has healed in exact fulfillment of and 35 so that even the Gentiles are praising the God of Israel, just as God said would be the case with the Messiah.

So, what other sign could they see?The Messiah had come, but they did not see him.

They wanted a sign from Jesus, tempting him to justify himself to them by some miraculous means, when Jesus, following the will of his Father had already given them more signs with more witnesses than they could count.

In fact, it is fair for us to say that Jesus himself in his virgin birth and ministry of mercy was the sing himself, but they had totally missed it.

Their hearts were too hard.

APPLICATION: How sad it is to be so close to Jesus and not see him?

How sad it is to be so close to God doing such a miraculous work in your generation and not be apart?

It keeps me up at night that there a people in here every week that hear the truth about Jesus and witness the miraculous working of Jesus and yet don't perceive it.

What would it take for you to listen?

What would it take for you to humble yourself before God?

What would it take for you to finally stop running away from him and just surrender your life to him?

He is all around you! Won't you see it?

On Your Terms or God’s?

“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign” Now, for those of us who are familiar with the work of Jesus and his disciples in the New Testament, this rebuke of someone seeking a miracle from Jesus is a bit confusing.

Jesus even says, “an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign.”

Did we not just see the Canaanite woman approach Jesus for the purpose of seeking a miracle?

And, Jesus commended her for having great faith!

In fact, Jesus had just performed a remarkable miracle by feeding 10,000-15,000 people with seven loaves of bread.

Jesus doesn't seem reluctant to perform miracles.

So, why does he so strongly rebuke the Sadducees and Pharisees here and not the Canaanite woman earlier?

This is key for us understanding how we should approach God in requesting him to do miraculous things in our lives, which I believe is an appropriate reason for calling on God.

So, what's the difference?

The Canaanite woman approached Jesus because of her faith, and the Phar/Sads approached just because of their unbelief.

The Canaanite woman came to the Lord because she was wholly dependent upon Jesus and had complete trust in him.

It was either miracle from Jesus or death for her daughter.

And, she was certain that Jesus could and would heal her.

But, the Phar/Sads come to Jesus as a means of testing him.

In fact, the word 'test' here is the exact same word that is translated as 'tempt' in , when Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness.

So, they aren't coming because they have confidence in Jesus; they are coming because they want Jesus to prove himself to them in their way and on their terms, because of how skeptical and unbelieving they are toward Jesus.

If signs were all that were needed to assure that the Phars/Sads here, perhaps, Jesus would have obliged, but the truth is that it takes more than seeing signs to love Jesus.

APPLICATION: Signs are often our way of telling God that we want him to come to us on our terms.