Walking Away

In this latest section (Matt.16:1-4) Jesus has another discussion with the Jewish leaders about signs. This is not the first one (See Matt.11 &12). He characterizes His generation as "evil and adulterous" for seeking more signs. The adulterer is not satisfied with the one he has and seeks another to satisfy his lust. This is the nature of adultery and fits perfectly for these sign seekers who are never satisfied with the ones Jesus provides, and constantly look for one more to satisfy their avoidance of having to commit. The adulterer does not want to commit. But, I do not want to repeat the discussion on signs. Rather it is the last phrase in the section that captivates me and gives me insight into Jesus' mind. That phrase is "and He left them and went away." I think I will just give you what I wrote in my journal:

"But the last phrase of this section is merely "and He left them and went away." He just spent three days with 15000 Gentiles and a few minutes with these sign seeking Jewish leaders. The message could not be clearer. Who does Jesus want to spend time with? Let this sink in. This is really startling! As a boy Jesus spent time in the temple debating with these (or similar) Jewish leaders. But now He spends time with Gentiles, sinners and honest seekers. No games. He is looking for true worshippers (John 4). He is looking for folks who know they are sick, those who will miss a few meals to sit at His feet and learn. He is looking for those who actually read signs and heed them instead of those who want more. It is not a good sign when Jesus walks away. He is giving them a very ominous sign! What happens when Jesus leaves the room? When He is there His presence fills the room. He is bigger than life. His glory is there. All eyes are on Him. He is the star. But when He leaves, what a void! In John 6 the Jews left Him. In Matthew 16 He leaves them. There is no discussion, no debate, He merely walks.

Did they talk about Him when He left? You bet they did and it probably was not a nice discussion. Jesus' words stung. It stirred up a hornet's nest. It caused them to plot and want this irritant out of their systems. Jesus is beginning to become a real bother. They saw that Jesus was not weak. He stood His ground and landed solid punches at their very gut. But, Jesus knew this was not the main event and there would be a time coming where He would fight to the death and win. This was a mere heat, a warm up. The main event is coming, but for now it is just a "walk away." This is insight into Jesus' thinking. The main opinion leaders of His generation are attacking Him and He is fighting back at the heart of the opinion leaders. He is exposing their incompetence as sign readers. They should resign as religious leaders and become weathermen. That would be more useful to their generation."