Matthew 16:1-4
One theme that runs through Matthew 16 is the theme of faith, or in the case of the Pharisees and Sadducees--a lack of faith. They did not believe that Jesus was their Messiah and so they demanded a sign to prove who He was. In reality they were tempting Jesus just as Satan had done in the wilderness. A miracle would not have caused them to believe because Jesus had already performed many miracles, and they refused to believe. It seems to me that faith is an act of the will, and these religious people had chosen not to believe.
Jesus points out their hypocrisy by showing that they could read the signs of the weather in the natural world, but would not read the signs of the spiritual world. Not only that, God had already given a "sign" in the scriptures through the story of Jonah. Jonah is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Himself. We saw these words in Matthew 12 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
We don't need signs or wonders or miracles in our age either. We have the Word of God! "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Romans 10:17
Psalm 115
"Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness."
v. 1 God alone deserves all the honor we can shower on Him! He offers us what no human can offer, perfect love and faithfulness.
"...he will bless those who fear the Lord--small and great alike." v. 13 No one is too insignificant for God's blessing!
"May the Lord make you increase, both you and your children." v. 14 What a generous, gracious God we serve!
"May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." v. 15 Since God made the heaven and earth, surely He is able to meet our needs and bless us beyond what we can imagine!
"It is we who extol the Lord, both now and forevermore. Praise the Lord." v. 18
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