He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,“Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
T he Pharisees, as they're portrayed in the Gospels, had assumed an adamantine skepticism. They would believe nothing that Jesus said or did, and nothing that the Holy Spirit might reveal to them. God had spoken through the prophets in the past; but they were convinced the age of prophets had passed. What passed for prophecy had become apocalyptic, indecipherable messages, like those of Malachi and Daniel, with little application to real politics in the real world.
The times were not unlike our own, in that we too are flooded with apocalyptic entertainments which forecast only gloom and doom. The public is entertained but does not take it seriously. Meanwhile politicians quarrel over which party is more satanic, which is also more entertaining and apocalyptic than useful. They regard any agreement, conversation, or compromise as betrayal. Members of the party must conform to the thought and sentiments of the party boss or face expulsion. Although everyone claims to know the Truth, no one seriously searches for it through a rigorous discipline of discernment, silence, and prayer.
The Evangelists were deeply affected by apocalyptic urgency; and their stories are weighted against the "other party," the Pharisaic straw men. There was no concept of "objective reporting" in their Hebrew philosophy; that strange notion that we could know the truth without reference to God appeared much later, with the Enlightenment. The Evangelists knew only the Word of God and human willingness to hear and keep the word of God.
Straw men are used to make a point with the Christian assembly. The real problem in the Church, then and today, are those Christians who maintain ideological, pharisaic, hypocritical attitudes about the Church and its members. Convinced of their own righteousness, they become caricatures of real persons, or straw men.
The People of God must finally be willing to believe that which is real, true, and reliable. We must be willing to believe that the Truth speaks for itself when its presented honestly to people who are willing to hear it. Shouting, blaming, accusing, misinterpreting, and suspecting one another of evil will not help. Nor can we be satisfied with partial answers to problems we have never been willing to address. There are no crises in the spiritual life; nor will acting as if every problem is a crisis resolve anything.
As my friend the Baptist minister said, "When God needs me to defend him, we'll all be in very serious trouble."
As we follow Jesus to Calvary we practice the faith that will carry us through the disappearance of security to the freedom of God's Kingdom.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.