Faith Sees a Sign in All He Does

Scripture:

Mark 15:25   It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶ The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” ²⁷ And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. ²⁹ Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, ³⁰ save yourself, and come down from the cross!” ³¹ In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. ³² Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.

Observation:

Mark brings us a story of the crucifixion that is simple and fact-filled. This moment is filled with jeers and mocking by those who could not possibly understand what Jesus was doing. Those who passed by were “shaking their heads” which brings up visions of Psalm 109:25 “I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads,” and Psalm 22:7, “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.” Mark intentionally uses this language which is associated with the abuse of the Righteous One to add to the picture. 

They wanted to see a sign, but it was to be their sign! They wanted to see him come down from the cross and “save himself.” What those mocking him didn’t understand was that by staying on the cross, Jesus was revealing his Messiahship. By remaining on the cross he was not saving himself, but saving the whole world. Their unbelief would never have been convinced by a sign for they were consumed by their hatred and jealousy, engulfed in the moment and mockery of their King. 

Application:

Unbelief demands a sign. 

Is that where we find ourselves? Wondering where God is in the midst of all that is happening in our world, and demanding a sign? We are living through a season that is entirely new for most of us. This global pandemic puts the whole world at risk unites us against the enemy which we cannot see. The strongest power that we have against this foe is stay home and practice social distancing. 

Let’s be honest, most of us may have moments where we are tempted to ask God why this is happening. Day after day the death rate is pronounced and more and more people we know are becoming infected. There are those who would cry out and ask God for a sign! Shaking our heads we look up to the heavens, asking where God is in the midst of this crisis. 

It’s okay to have those moments of unbelief. We should have honest conversations with God, for in those moments we are brought through to the other side. Even the disciples must have looked upon Jesus while he was dying and had their moments of doubt. They didn’t know how it would all pan out. 

The difference between the disciples and the crowds had to do with the attitude of their heart. The disciples were not mocking, but were weeping. The disciples were not filled with jealousy and rage, but with lament and grief. It was because of their posture that they were able to eventually see that the sign of the cross truly identified Jesus as the Son of God. The disciples had faith. 

Faith sees a sign in all He does. 

I don’t believe that God wants humanity to suffer, nor that God unleashed this virus upon the world. We find ourselves in this place because of the choices and decisions that have been made by humans. Where faith leads us is to see the Lord at work in our suffering. 

Jesus is working through the doctors and nurses who are heroically caring for their patients. God is uniting humanity together against this invisible enemy and revealing a human spirit which reflects the very character of God. Love overflows as we pray for and check in on one-another. The church has been forced outside the walls of her building and into the airwaves, the streets and communities. Neighbors who have rarely communicated with one another now sit outside on their driveways, waving and checking in on everyone who passes by. Faith begins to see a sign, the visible presence of the character of God, in all that He does. 

Let us walk through these days in faith with a heart bent toward God. We won’t be able to understand all of this, but we continue on, pressing into the love of God, and living every day, seeing a sign in all He does. 

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for your love revealed through health-care workers around the world. Thank you for all the workers in the health-care systems, including those who clean hospital rooms, work as lab techs, manage the technical details, and work as chaplains (as well as the many others not mentioned). We pray for your hand of protection and your character revealed in and through them as they lovingly care for those who are ill. Amen.