The Christ Who Demands a Response
One of the curious features of art – fine art – is the variety of responses it evokes in people. It is unquestionably the case that if all of us listening to this message went to the national gallery in Ottawa and stood before the same painting – we would have the full spectrum of responses to it – from awed admiration to barely-veiled disdain or even disgust. And the responses don’t always make much sense. Some people rarely appreciate a great deal of modern art. Some people love it. In a far more profound way, as we travel through Matthew’s gospel, we discover that responses and reactions to Jesus Christ are profoundly divided – and not always on rational grounds. In fact, some responses to Jesus seem to run entirely contrary to the evidence. Some people will love Jesus; others will hate him. Some will seek his destruction – others will listen in admiration. Ultimately, they will either bay for his blood at the cross, or bow the knee in worship and adoration.
And as the Gospel of Matthew showcases this variety of responses, it becomes clear that Matthew is setting before us a mirror – exposing our own reaction to Jesus Christ, and requiring us to reckon afresh with him. One reaction to Jesus Christ that we encounter in Matthew 16 is that of a perverse incomprehension. The religious leaders have shown themselves already to be blind to who Jesus is. After the miraculous feeding of the 5000 in chapter 14, the religious leaders travelled up from Jerusalem with the most bizarre concern and complaint – they had heard that Jesus’ disciples hadn’t been washing their hands properly. With all that was taking place – the feeding of the hungry and the healing of the sick – this was the nature of their concern. That was back at the beginning of chapter 15.
In Matthew 16, Jesus has done even more wondrous works. He has healed another great crowd – he has fed thousands more. And once again, the religious leaders show up to test him. As verse 1 points out, “And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.” This is absurd. It is a bit like a crowd approaching Winston Churchill on the 9th of May in 1945 – the day after hostilities ceased in Europe and the day after a great victory and demonstration of remarkable leadership – and asking him to prove his ability to lead a nation in war.
The religious leaders are indeed displaying a perverse incomprehension. Consider what has happened in Matthew 16 alone. The daughter of the Canaanite woman has been released from demonic oppression. Crowds of sick people have come to Jesus and have received healing – the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute. Some of the great promises of Scripture for the age of the Messiah have been fulfilled in public view. Consider Isaiah 35:5-6 – a promise for the Messianic age: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy….”
It takes a determined hardness of heart toward Jesus to deny the evidence of his miraculous works – to refuse to see him for who he is. This refusal to accept the signs of the miracles themselves is not a neutral thing –it is an evil thing. Verse 4 points out, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign…” How are you going to respond to the miracles of Jesus today? Will you respond in scepticism and scorn, or in worship and thanksgiving?