30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 14 1-6 The evil of hypocrisy 05 Seeking for signs and wonders
📖 Luke 14:1-6
16Nov19 - *Looking for signs and wonders* - _Luke 14:1-6_ - Bible reading: _Matthew 16:1-4_
_Luke 14:2-6 And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. (3) And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" (4) But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. (5) Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?" (6) And they could not answer Him regarding these things._
We understood that the problem of the religious leaders of Jesus’ time, was the problem of hypocrisy. The Lord made it clear that hypocrites will go to hell. We therefore began to look into the problem of hypocrisy and its symptoms in our own lives. The symptoms that we have seen thus far are, 1. Our heart is seeking after its own gain 2. Giving importance to outward rituals, traditions, rules and formats and not giving importance to love God, be loved by Him and to love people. 3. Seeking glory from men. 4a. Appearances before men and 4b. Outwardly appearing righteous before people.
The next symptom of hypocrisy that we will look at today is the symptom of looking for signs, wonders and miracles from Jesus. This is indeed a serious symptom for this is the familiar and popular teaching that is prevalent today. People are coming to Jesus for signs and miracles. The whole relationship with Jesus is made out to be a relationship with a God, who does miracles. People are not being taught to trust God, submit to Him and to walk in obedience to Him. A generation that is looking for signs and miracles from Jesus is a hypocritical generation.
_Matthew 16:1-4 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. (2) He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; (3) and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. (4) A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed._
Jesus is always doing miracles in our lives. That is the nature of God to bring us into the life of Shalom, of His wellbeing.
_Matthew 11:4-6 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: (5) The blind see 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. (6) And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people._ What Jesus was doing was not in secrecy but well known throughout the region. _Matthew 4:24-25 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. (25) Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. (Luke 4:43/Matthew 9:35)_
Yet, the religious leaders were asking Jesus for a sign from heaven.
Let us be warned that having a relationship with Jesus for the purpose of miracles, for signs, for problems to be solved, for healing to take place, without surrendering to His lordship over us, is hypocrisy.
*Thought to ponder*
```All the Israelites, who trudged across the desert, experienced God’s signs and wonders, but the majority of them perished in the wilderness.```