Luke 11
When do we ask for a sign? Do we ask for it when we are confident? Do we ask for it when we are satisfied? Do we ask for it when we are thankful? No. We don’t ask for a sign when we are confident, satisfied, or thankful. We demand it when we are not sure, when we are unfulfilled, and when we are anxious. The one who asks for it is hardly grateful. The one who demands a sign has no faith. Dissatisfaction and doubt lead to a demand for signs.
Jesus lamented over his generation, which he called evil. It asked for a sign, not because it was discerning their redeemer, but because it forgot the voice of their Lord. The Lord gave Israel covenants and prophets. Lastly, St John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness and brought the voice of the Lord to announce the coming of the Saviour on earth. And then, finally, the Son of God proclaimed the kingdom of God. However, Israel didn’t change their hearts.
Although Jesus called his generation evil, he didn’t give up. He announced his Passion and Resurrection as the sign to his generation – the sign of Jonah: Jonah spent three days and three nights in a whale’s belly. In the same way, the Son of man would spend three days and three nights under the nether world. The Son of God would give himself as the sacrificial lamb for the forgiveness of sins of all people. But he would rise from death and open the door to life eternal for all.
Are we still asking for another sign? Too many times, I forget how much I received in my life – beginning with my life itself. The Lord adopted me as his child only out of his goodness. And he feeds me with His Son’s flesh and blood to give me life eternal. What more can I ask? Should I ask for another sign of God’s love for me? Where is my thanksgiving?
