(April 12, 2024) Richard Winter reflects on dangers and challenges …

See the sun come up this morning, or any signs in the sky? For example… sunshine means warmer weather – that’s a good sign.

Did you know that Jesus has an important teaching about looking for signs?

Matthew 16:1-4NKJV records: ‘Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; 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. 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.’ 

Red Alerts
We all know that a Red Alert –
(i)  Signifies a warning.
(ii) Indicates eminent impending danger.
(iii) Gets our attention by its very colour.
(iv) Means alarm bells will be ringing danger!

Around the world today there are many red alerts –

• Ukraine has daily red alerts from incoming Russian bombs.
• NATO says the West should be on a red alert in respect to Russia’s plans.
• Taiwan is on red alert for more earthquakes.
• Many families are facing a financial red alert danger.
• Red alerts means incoming danger – and that you will need to be alert and ready to act.

Our passage above contains four red alerts … and is about more than just ‘red skies.’

Red Alert 1: Enemy Approaching
Jesus arrives in the region of Magdala to find some Pharisees and Sadducees approaching Him, and not with a warm greeting!

These religious leaders treated Him like a red alert, from their point of view. Why? He was someone who opposed them. There had already been confrontation after confrontation with this meddler – they saw Jesus as the enemy.

Again and again this Jesus had upset their political, religious influence and control – presenting a new way of seeing old things and talking about change. Change? No way! The old way – their religious way – was one of comfort and control for them and they didn’t want any changes.

And here comes this troublemaker yet again, our common enemy! Red alert, boys, red alert!

Red Alert 2: We want a Sign
And so they tested Him, asking for a sign from heaven (v1).

Jesus knew that they were ganging on Him to shoot a curve ball to defeat ‘this menace’ in the public’s eye. As Matthew Henry wrote, their ‘design was to tempt Him; not to be taught by Him, but to ensnare Him.’  

If we study Matthew’s gospel, we will notice that Jesus had been performing so many signs – miracles and deliverances, one after another. Wasn’t this enough for them, were they not convinced? Where had they been for the past 2½ years? Why He’d just healed many and fed at least 4,000 people (Chapter 15)!

It would seem that those signs weren’t enough for those religious leaders… too ‘earthy.’ And now they ask for a heavenly sign! NLT version reads ‘… demanding that He show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove His authority.’  After all, hadn’t Jesus claimed to be the divine Son of God (John 10:36)… well, let it be proved with ‘a heavenly’ sign, maybe thunder, lightning, hail or rain.

To them, if something or someone is from God, you’d have to show evidence and a revelation from God, just like in the Old Testament. Remember Moses at Mount Sinai where there was thunder and lightning as the 10 Commandments were given? Elijah commanding rain to stop… and later commanding it to pour down again?

Their position was ‘If you are truly someone sent from God, prove it by a sign.’ But we know the hearts of these guys… neither sincere nor open. They wanted Jesus to perform at their command, their demands – probably hoping their enemy couldn’t!

• Jesus’ response wasn’t expected! He acknowledged how they could read the weather – red skies in the evening, signifying fair weather next day. Red skies in the morning, foul and threatening weather.
• He was but quoting an ancient ‘weather forecasting system’ which became a rhyme right to the present day – ‘Red sky at night, sailors’ delight; Red sky at morning, sailors’ warning.’
• Such skies were a red alert and they knew to make necessary preparations.
• Jesus then drew their attention to what they should be really looking at, calling them hypocrites because they knew how to discern the signs of the sky but couldn’t discern the signs of the times!
• Their problem was neither knowing nor understanding the right signs… and looking at the wrong enemy.

They were sounding a red alert for the wrong things. If they really understood the spiritual climate, they would know how to respond correctly.

Red Alert 3: This Time From Jesus 
Here’s where Jesus rings an alarm bell!

Verse 3Mge is His red alert to wake up those Pharisees and Sadducees up to the imminent danger that was all around them… ‘You find it easy enough to forecast the weather – why can’t you read the signs of the times?’ He red alerted them – but sadly they were not seeing it.

Jesus points out that only a wicked and adulterous generation sought after a sign. That if they wanted to see the real problem then they should be looking at the wanton generation they were in, not at the heavens or at Him!

He was not their enemy: in fact, He has come as their suffering Messiah to tell a culpable generation and its religious leaders – them – what was correct. But they were oblivious, stubborn, spiritually blind!

• They should have been preparing God’s people but they were all too self-absorbed!
• To them ‘It was all about the institution, religion, politics, power and personal gain.’  
• They knew how to tell people how to live, but doing it for their own advancement and greed.
• That’s why Jesus called them hypocrites, why He gave them this red alert!
• Jesus was warning them that it was going to be foul weather, storms were coming.

But… these religious leaders were not interested! No wonder verse 4 is straight to the point: ‘He left them standing there and went away’ (GW version).

Red Alert 4: Don’t Miss This Sign!
On leaving them, Jesus said this: ‘The only sign you’ll get is the Jonah sign’ (v4Mge). Here was another red alert from Jesus, a big one, and if they missed it, they would miss everything!

What was this sign of the prophet Jonah? Even though they knew the Old Testament story of Jonah, those religious leaders didn’t understand its significance as to how it spoke about Jesus.

Jonah, rather than do what God wanted of him, tried to flee away and was swallowed by a great fish (dâg dâ’g – fish, not whale!). Eventually he had to face the reality that you can’t outrun God! And God miraculously saved him from death and obediently he went to Ninevah to teach righteous living and calling that society to repent (which it did!).

Jesus was giving those religious leaders a hint that this was the sign they should look for! That is… not to miss His death, His burial, His resurrection. He was speaking of the power of the cross and the power of His resurrection. A case of ‘Come on… you religious leaders understand Jonah’s story, now understand my life story. He came back from certain death… I’ll be coming back too, one of these days!’

Jonah had been a sort of saviour for Ninevah, another wicked generation that needed God’s grace.Jesus, the Saviour of all humanity, was endeavouring to alert these Pharisees and Sadducees that it wasn’t keeping their laws that made them righteous, nor oversighting their temple (He would later prophesy that the temple would be torn down)… they needed to recognise Him, who He was.

We know that salvation is only possible and available if one believes in Jesus, His death, burial and His resurrection and repents of sins. This is the only ‘sign’ that will save anyone – now that was some red alert from Jesus!

Implication regarding the World Today
What do these four red alerts and their four different perspectives mean for us today?

The key is in Matthew 16:3NKJV, ‘You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.’

• We live in a world today of information, knowledge, scientific and technological advancement.
• New discoveries every day in quantum physics, nanotech, infotech, and medicine fields.
• Satellites all over the place.
• Space programs and explorations into realms that we may not even understand.
• Weather forecasting capabilities are so sharp today, telling the signs in the skies.
• Tracking solar and lunar eclipses so many years ahead. (We’ve just had a total solar eclipse).
• Even before anything happens, red alerts are issued telling people how to prepare.
• We can predict, discern and look at signs in the skies, but we too are still missing the signs of the times.

Look at the world around us! There is a humanistic belief that humanity has the power to live as we want because there is no life after death and the grave… so do what you want.

We think we can save the world because we have the power within us and can take things into our own hands. Even our morality is relative – ‘You live the way you want and I’ll live the way that I want.’

We live in a post-truth time where people say there is no such thing as absolute truth. God’s truth and the need to be saved is no longer relevant because today is about personal freedom. Each of us needs to be free with our own rights, not disturbing each other but simply tolerating each other.

• Then there’s the stance that all religions are the same.
• That humankind can save itself.
• Then there’s gender fluidity and sexual confusion.
• I could go on…!
• But if Christians bring such things up and cry ‘Red Alert!’, the world will say to us, ‘You Christians are the bigots and intolerant ones, you’re the enemy!’ From these people’s perspective, we are the problem.

Implication regarding Christians Today
So how about we Christians today? Are we doing okay? Are we any different from the world today?

Paul warns in 2Timothy 3:1-5 that in the last days there will be perilous times because people will be…

• Lovers of themselves.
• Lovers of money and be boasters and proud, blasphemers.
• Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.

Christians who are like this have a form of godliness but deny its power! On one hand, saying ‘We love God’ but on the other hand, ‘We make decisions based on our comfort and our pleasure.’ Paul is sounding a ‘Red Alert’ to keep away from people like that!

The warning today is that believers will have to live right, to wake up and get aligned with the Lord, so that we can move on regarding kingdom assignments.

Implication regarding the Sign of Christ Crucified Today
That’s the one sign we mustn’t miss… or not share!

Paul writes in 1Corinthians 1:22 that ‘Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom.’ And then points out that God gives only one sign, a significant one that leads to His power and wisdom! He fearlessly states in verse 23-24: ‘But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.’ 

• To Pharisees and Sadducees (and other Jews) Christ crucified was a stumbling block.
• They couldn’t – wouldn’t – accept or understand this.
• The Greeks looked on the cross as foolishness, that dying on such tells of a weak God.
• God’s wisdom is foolishness to people who today hold on to worldly wisdom!
• The world thinks it’s very smart and sometimes we’re too smart for our own good!

The power of the cross and Jesus’ resurrection is not just at the point of salvation but throughout our entire kingdom life… and on our kingdom assignments until one day – that day – when He comes back again for us.

Endpiece
We live in perilous and exciting times… has the above been a red alert to you? Can you discern the signs of the times around you?

This article is also an invitation to you to join in and sound the red alert alarm to so many more who need to hear the good news of Jesus. Don’t be like the Pharisees and Sadducees coming with wrong intentions and motives, wanting to fight against the Messiah who will save them.

Don’t get caught up with wrong doctrines/false teachings if you are a believer – live the life of the kingdom, following the King. His instructions are in the book, God’s Holy Bible… as we move further into 2024, lets read more.

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Dr Richard Winter pastors The Connection Church, Huntington Beach, California. Link: OnlineConnect@gmail.com
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