February 17, 2025

Mark 8:11-13

How many times must we learn, not our will but God’s will be done?  How many times must we surrender our intellect in order to be open to God’s way?  Here the Pharisees think that they are clever; they plan to test Jesus by seeing if he will send a sign from heaven to convince them of his worth.  They are seeking a miracle, not from the depths of their hearts because of some illness or trouble, but to fit into their human concept of what they need as proof that Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus does not fall for this ploy, nor does he comply with their request. Sighing, he says, “Why does this generation seek a sign?…No sign will be given to this generation.”  The surest way to block God’s activity in our lives is to have a preconception of what God should do, or to seek proof of God’s intention according to our preconceptions.