Just Walk Away: Mark 8:11-13

Jesus doesn’t have to win the argument.  All along Jesus’ ministry, he has been happy to converse with anyone, but we’ve seen Him frequently turn aside and leave.  He’s left crowds to head into the wilderness.  He’s left arguments with Pharisees to head into Gentile land.  He’s gotten into boats when the crowd pressed in too hard.  Jesus loves to engage, but He’s also a master at disengaging.  Making disciples and mentoring isn’t about winning every argument, it is about finding interest by engaging with anyone.

The Pharisees come to Jesus and demand a sign.  They argue.  Because they are accustomed to the position of religious elite, they are used to being right and making demands from others.  When Jesus takes up the argument, they push the issue.  They demand proof from Jesus that He is right.

Note that we don’t know what the argument is about.  It could be about Jesus being the Messiah.  It could be about some aspects of the Law.  It could be about ritual purity.  There are plenty of places where Jesus and the Pharisees differed; they could have been arguing about any one of them.

The Pharisees demand a sign to test Him.  They aren’t asking for a miracle out of any personal need.  They aren’t in a place of genuinely desiring to believe but needing help to take the initial leap of faith.  They aren’t even vainly seeking a spectacle!  They are trying to test Jesus.  They are looking for holes in His claims.  They are convinced of their own righteousness and arrogantly look down upon Jesus out of their elite position.

Jesus tells them they won’t get a sign.   They don’t need a sign; they’re going to get hard evidence.  The crucifixion and resurrection are coming.  The religious elite will be alive to see it.  They don’t need a sign because they are going to be in the very place on earth at the very right time to see salvation come to mankind.  They’ll have a significant – albeit villainous – role to play in the process!

God isn’t opposed to giving signs.  God gives Gideon a sign when asked.  God gives King Ahaz a sign about the child being born when the Assyrians threaten his kingdom.  God gives the star for the magi to follow.  God is happy to give signs to people when the truth is so deep it is hard to perceive or when the leap of faith is so great we genuinely need help.  God shouldn’t need to give signs to people who are in a place to see a plain truth lived out right before their eyes.

In the end, Jesus gets into a boat and leaves.  I love that Jesus is willing to walk away.  He spends some time having the argument, but He doesn’t need the last word.  He can take His disciples, go someplace else, and work with people who want to listen.  Jesus doesn’t have to win the argument.