Topic: Were They Genuine? [Friday March 24, 2017]
Text: Matthew 16:1-12
Key Verse: “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed” (Matthew 16:4).
The Pharisees and the Sadducees put away their differences in order to mount up a formidable opposition against Christ whose teaching overthrew their errors and heresies. Their intention in asking Jesus to give them “a sign from heaven” was inimical. Miracles surrounded the birth of Jesus; signs and wonders He had already shown would have been sufficient for sincere seekers to agree that God was with Him.
Jesus, in a way, castigated them in their knowledge with which they predicted adequately the weather. Yet, this did not suffice them to discern the signs of the time. He shifted His attention to His disciples who thought they were being rebuked for not taking physical bread along on their journey. But Jesus was giving a serious spiritual warning on the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. The danger was not in the physical bread because Jesus Himself ate their bread but in the principles and doctrines which could spread and destroy their faith. They were rebuked for being of little faith because the testimonies of how God fed their forefathers with manna in the wilderness and His miraculous feeding of multitudes in the desert would have made them trust Him for their sustenance.
In this end-time when prayer houses spring up everywhere, believers should rather seek understanding of spiritual things and allow their faith to rest on the unchanging word of God. We must shun teachings that do not harp on total readiness for the imminent return of the Lord. Earth-borne homilies and the theology of healing and prosperity, without faith in the atonement and holiness of life are poisonous therapies to the soul.
Thought for the day: “Evil communications corrupt good manners”.
Bible Reading in one Year: Ruth 3-4
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
