Why Do You Ask?
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Matthew 12:38-39 NKJV
Jesus was daily asked questions by three classes of people: people who wanted to know God more (e.g. Nicodemus, the disciples etc.), people who wanted Him to affirm their lives and didn't really want to change (e.g. the rich young man, some of the Scribes and Pharisees), and people who wanted to discredit His ministry (e.g. Herod, many of the Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees etc.). In our opening text we see a people who asked Him a question but really didn't want to change but were seeking to justify their lives and choice to not believe in Jesus. Even today we will encounter these three categories of people asking us questions about Jesus and our faith and ways of life and it calls for wisdom to know how to answer each, as Jesus also didn't answer them in the same way. For instance some people will come and ask us if Jesus is the only way to the Father, and we need wisdom to discern whether they're genuinely seeking Him to get saved, are seeking to justify their choice to not believe in Him, or just want to discredit our faith (mostly these will ask this question in front of other people and love arguing). Like Jesus showed us, these three categories of people shouldn't be answered in the same way.
Jesus called the people who wanted to justify their lifestyles by asking Him that question evil and adulterous; evil I believe because of the thoughts and intents of their hearts and their nature (see the previous verses), and adulterous because they weren't loyal to God as their Husband and were cheating on Him with some things (and so were seeking for reasons to justify cheating on Him). The same happens to us today. Sometimes we find ourselves asking God to give us signs and confirmations concerning obedience whereas our hearts don't really want to obey or change our ways. Other times we convince ourselves that Jesus doesn't love us after asking Him for signs, and when He doesn't (He says He won't give us any other sign apart from His death and resurrection) we go ahead and walk away from Him.
An adulterous and evil heart isn't loyal to God and is always questioning His existence, truthfulness, faithfulness, Word etc., not because they want to learn and know Him more but because they want to justify their choices. Any time you find someone or even yourself hesitating to obey and asking for signs or confirmations ask yourself if the heart is open to obedience at all costs, or it's adulterous and has other ways it is already inclined to go with. God doesn’t answer questions for the sake of answering them, but answers considering the motives behind our asking. If we're asking to really know and change we’ll be answered but if for any other reason we won't.
Grace and peace to you!
Jesus was daily asked questions by three classes of people: people who wanted to know God more (e.g. Nicodemus, the disciples etc.), people who wanted Him to affirm their lives and didn't really want to change (e.g. the rich young man, some of the Scribes and Pharisees), and people who wanted to discredit His ministry (e.g. Herod, many of the Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees etc.). In our opening text we see a people who asked Him a question but really didn't want to change but were seeking to justify their lives and choice to not believe in Jesus. Even today we will encounter these three categories of people asking us questions about Jesus and our faith and ways of life and it calls for wisdom to know how to answer each, as Jesus also didn't answer them in the same way. For instance some people will come and ask us if Jesus is the only way to the Father, and we need wisdom to discern whether they're genuinely seeking Him to get saved, are seeking to justify their choice to not believe in Him, or just want to discredit our faith (mostly these will ask this question in front of other people and love arguing). Like Jesus showed us, these three categories of people shouldn't be answered in the same way.
Jesus called the people who wanted to justify their lifestyles by asking Him that question evil and adulterous; evil I believe because of the thoughts and intents of their hearts and their nature (see the previous verses), and adulterous because they weren't loyal to God as their Husband and were cheating on Him with some things (and so were seeking for reasons to justify cheating on Him). The same happens to us today. Sometimes we find ourselves asking God to give us signs and confirmations concerning obedience whereas our hearts don't really want to obey or change our ways. Other times we convince ourselves that Jesus doesn't love us after asking Him for signs, and when He doesn't (He says He won't give us any other sign apart from His death and resurrection) we go ahead and walk away from Him.
An adulterous and evil heart isn't loyal to God and is always questioning His existence, truthfulness, faithfulness, Word etc., not because they want to learn and know Him more but because they want to justify their choices. Any time you find someone or even yourself hesitating to obey and asking for signs or confirmations ask yourself if the heart is open to obedience at all costs, or it's adulterous and has other ways it is already inclined to go with. God doesn’t answer questions for the sake of answering them, but answers considering the motives behind our asking. If we're asking to really know and change we’ll be answered but if for any other reason we won't.
Grace and peace to you!
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Blessings.