And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.
This short passage can be quite disheartening to some. We see something contrary to what we most hear about Jesus. We are often told about the loving, patient nature of God and how he never turns anyone away. However, here we see something disturbing: Jesus walks away. This is an important lesson for us to learn. While God’s mercies are everlasting to those who have received them, they are not always available to everyone, at all times. Scripture tells us to seek the Lord while he can be found. (Isaiah 55:6)
I want you to know the wonders of our Lord and God Jesus Christ. I want to tell you of the care and concern that he has for you. I have a desire to share with you the faithfulness and the longsuffering of which he has endured over Israel, over mankind, over all of creation, and yes, over you individually. God is the source of love and goodness in creation.
Jeremiah 31:3 – The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.
We see here that God loved Jeremiah so much that he drew Jeremiah to him.
Hosea 11:1: “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.”
We see here how God loved Isreal and called them to himself.
Romans 5:8 – But God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
And finally, we see that God loved us and called us to himself. However, there is a dire point made in this short passage of scripture. Jesus has just returned to Galilee from the gentile parts of the north and west of Israel. He has returned to the place where he was rejected, and his own people had tried to kill him. We see that Jesus loved his people to return multiple times, despite the dangers. Here now he returned for what would be the last time.
10 And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.
Dalmanutha was a fishing village located on the northwest coast of the Sea of Galilee. It is part of the Ginosar (Gennesaret) Valley of Israel. Matthew refers to this area as Magadan, a nearby city where Mary Magdalene was from. You may have heard of the archeological discovery of a 2000-year-old fishing vessel called the “Galilee Boat”; it was found in this area.
11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
Sometimes we can be too religious for our own good. The Pharisees and Sadducees (according to Matthew’s account) had come together to attempt to humiliate Jesus or at least to get him to commit some open blasphemy. They were prideful in their attempt, looking down upon him in judgment as the vicar of God.
They told Jesus that he must prove himself before they would believe in him. They wanted to witness an unreliable miracle from heaven. The evidence that God was willing to give them already existed. When the Baptist was imprisoned, he began to wonder about God’s plan. He wanted to verify that Jesus was who he had prophesied in saying, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”.
Scripture of Matthew 11:2-6 says,
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
John had heard of the things that Jesus was doing, and so he sent to Jesus to hear from his own lips, if he was the messiah. Jesus referred him to the fulfillment of scripture, and told him he would be blessed to believe the scriptures. John believed.
Now the Jewish religious elite, who study the scriptures day in and day out, came asking for a sign. John did not ask for a sign; he asked for Jesus’ word. These Pharisees and such came asking for a sign. They were from the same area that Jesus had:
- Turned water into wine
- Calmed the sea
- Walked on water
- Fed over 5000 people with a few loaves and fish
- Healed the sick
- Healed a paralytic
- Raised the dead
- Casted out demons
These are the same signs that John the Baptist heard about and believed. Yet these religious scholars would not believe it. They refused to see the fulfillment of the scripture or receive the testimony of God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, or the Son of God. They refused the Word of God.
I have heard arguments from college students who have thought themselves so clever that they have said, If you can give me 100% proof that Jesus is God, then I will believe. Yet they trust things every day without 100% proof.
- They ride rollercoasters without 100% proof that they are safe.
- They drive to school and work without 100% proof that they will not be involved in an accident along the way.
- Many will get married without 100% proof that their new spouse is faithful, non-abusive, or does not have some form of medical or mental issues.
- They will invest in stocks without 100% guarantee of returns.
- They will sleep at night, not knowing if they will wake up the next morning.
Some trust
- that aliens from outer space are real, without evidence
- that they can depend upon Astrology or fortune tellers for major life decisions
- that “fate” rules people’s lives
Yet they demand the need to have 100% proof of the deity of Jesus Christ. At the same time, they will refute any evidence you may bring forward. They will say that you cannot use the bible as a witness. Staking the deck in their favor. They have already rejected the Word of God without hearing it. They will also reject documented historical records, archeological findings, and further eyewitness testimonies.
Others I have heard have had a more honest approach. When asked if the witness could produce the burden of logic to illustrate the deity of Christ, would they believe? They have said No, even if you prove it beyond doubt, I will not follow Christ. At least they were honest in their rejection. These Pharisees were like the previous students. They would ask for evidence, then ignore it and ask for more. Knowing they are not seeking the truth, they seek only to humiliate the witness and lie to themselves.
These Pharisees came tempting Jesus, testing him, trying to humiliate him. The Pharisees were known for their strict interpretation of the scriptures, and yet they were in direct violation of the law.
Deuteronomy 6:16 – Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.
To tempt means to put on trial. In Massah, the Israelites had tested God’s power and care for them with bitter complaining and in doubting his care and ability to provide for them. They tested the reliability of God’s Word. They accused God of lying. They were in unbelief.
Despite all that God had done for them. Despite how God had delivered them out of Egypt and destroyed Pharaoh his army with signs and power from on high, they chose unbelief. God said, do not ever do that again… This is what the religious elite did on this day.
So, when men have so hardened their hearts to refuse to accept the truth no matter the cost. What is one to do? How can someone like that be saved? The answer is that they cannot be saved. This is the line crossed.
12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.
Thou shalt not tempt the LORD thy God. Do not tempt to anger. .. Jesus sighed deeply in his spirit. This is a deeply sorrowful sigh. An exasperation of the hard-heartedness of these men, and of Israel in general, to blind themselves from the truth and to reject the one who loved them most. It is like when a parent has taught their child what is right and wrong and given them all the preparations needed to be successful in life, and then when they step out on their own, they fall into chaos, drug abuse, alcoholism, and worse, end up in jail. That exasperation of hopes for their child be dashed upon the rocks. This is what Jesus felt then. All the deliverances, all the lessons, all the prayers, all the hopes, and expectations of being joyously received, all gone. What a heavy burden he must have felt in this total rejection, knowing that no matter what he did, he would not be accepted. Despite all his love and concern for them, he would have to leave them to their own fate. How much did it hurt his heart to have to leave his children? But you cannot go where you are not wanted.
13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.
Paul tells us, “because of their unbelief they were broken off” (Romans 11:20)
The writer of Hebrews wrote, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12).
Hebrews 11:6 explains, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
The only way to God is through faith in Jesus Christ. You must believe upon his name, upon his work. You must take him at his word.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
This is of serious concern that Jesus walked away, for he never again ministered in Galilee before he went to the cross. There are terrible consequences to the rejection of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Condemnation
Listen to the words of Jesus as recorded by the Apostle John,
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19)
This is the root problem with those who reject the gospel. They could have eternal life, but they choose to reject the mercies of God in Jesus Christ, and so condemn themselves.
- Abiding Wrath
This choice of unbelief is what destroys their life. Scripture says,
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth upon him.” (John 3:36)
There is no middle ground. There is no I will come to God in my own way. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, is the only way. It does not matter how religious you are. If you don’t believe in Jesus, then your religion is in vain, and the wrath of God abides upon you. That does not mean a one-time thing, where you are punished and then God’s wrath goes away. NO… to abide means to remain on you. There is no reprieve. God will pardon those who believe in the Son, Jesus, but those who do not will never be pardoned.
- Everlasting Destruction
In the letter Paul wrote the Thessalonians, he encouraged them in their tribulations to know that what they endure here for a little while does not measure up to the things that those who are unbelievers will be forced to endure for eternity.
“And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” (1 Thessalonians 1:7-9)
- The Lake of Fire
In Revelation the Apostle John tells us that whoever believes on Jesus, their name is written in the book of life, but he also says, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15) This is a horrible shame because Jesus himself tells us that the Lake of Fire is everlasting and it was not intended for men, but for the devil and his angels. Every man that goes into the Lake of Fire does so against the will of God, because they rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Final Judgement
Mark 16:16 is very clear that there will be a final judgement. The judgement is based on if you believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16)
Choosing to reject Jesus just so that you can prove how religious you are, or how liberal you are is foolishness that will cost you your very soul. There is not other god, there is not other prophet, there is no other spirit, there is no other way. Please do not cross the line where Jesus walks away from you. Repent and trust in Jesus.
The Way of Christ Ministries 