The Bible Study Podcast, episode 441. Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of the book of Matthew with chapter 16.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast. I'm your host, Chris Christensen. We continue on with chapter 16 here, which starts with this, a demand for a sign.

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.

He replied, when evening comes, you say, it will be fair weather for the sky is red. And in the morning, today it will be fair weather, for the sky is red. And in the morning,

today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast. You know how to interpret the

appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous

generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.

Jesus then left them and went away.

Now, what's the problem here? The Pharisees come to Jesus and they say, show us a sign.

That doesn't seem that unreasonable.

If he is who he claims to be, which it's not clear exactly who he claims to be here, but

he claims to be more than just a teacher.

Who is he, and where does this authority come from, is definitely one of the things they've

been wrestling with.

Why not just do a card trick and show them who he is?

Now, one of the reasons why not is that he has already done many signs and that none of them

seem to have made a difference in the Pharisees or Sadducees believing in him. So the question is, does he not show

them a sign because he knows that it won't do any good? Or does he not do a sign because he

doesn't want them to believe? Why doesn't Jesus show them a sign?

One of the things that I run into with doing ministry inside, in a jail situation, or in juvenile hall in my case,

is that sometimes what people are looking for when they come to Bible study is not faith, but magic.

And when I say magic, I don't mean they are looking for me to teach them card tricks,

...