The Pharisees and Sadducees Seek a Sign
Matthew 16 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’ 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
In those days and today some people want to be entertained [given a sign]. The religious leaders of that day wanted to see a magic trick. Show us and we will believe, problem is they would have turned it into saying it was just a trick. Sadly there are those who still think their smarter than God. As you probably know that will never happen. The being who created everything in the universe including man. The one who determines all science is never surprised. He is so powerful He even knows our thoughts.
Mark 3;20 Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.” 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.” This is what prompted Jesus to say 28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— 30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
The Septuagint renders the name as Baalzebub (βααλζεβούβ) and as Baal muian (βααλ μυιαν, “Baal of flies”). However Symmachus the Ebionite may have reflected a tradition of its offensive ancient name when he rendered it as Beelzebou * Beelzebub was the Lord of the flies. A cult formed because someone noticed that flies would land on feces. Larvae (maggots) hatch from the eggs, and a fly is born. Somehow they got the idea that is where life came from. It turned into worship of the Lord of the flies.
My plea: In my mind and millions of other peoples. Jesus is the very essence of God who came to Earth while making Himself a little lower than the Angels, taught us the way to relate to the Father. Showed the world the things promised in the Old Testament and finally gave His life as ransom for the sins of everyone who was born and who will be born. It’s the most important thing you can do. Search into who Jesus is and know for sure when you make the decision that effects your eternity.
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; If you reject Jesus your calling the Holy Spirit [God] a liar.
The only thing we can do is meet Him at the foot of the cross, repent and seek His forgiveness. I can’t say this enough: Your eternity depends on your response to Jesus. * https://thelordsroom.org/2021/11/22/salvation-a-choice/
God Bless, Dan Beliveau
The Lord's Room 