As we’ve studied chapters 11 and 12 of Matthew this week, you might have picked up on a theme—people are noticing Jesus and it’s starting to cause a ruckus. His announcement of the kingdom of God has been met with honest questions (v. 11:3), resistance (v. 11:23), challenges (v. 12:10), and even accusations (v. 12:24).

In today’s reading, some religious leaders ask Jesus for a sign. But their request isn’t coming from pure hearts that hunger to see God. These demands more closely resemble the voice Jesus heard in the wilderness during his temptation (v. 4) and the voices Jesus would hear mocking him from the cross (v. 27:39). And those voices sound like this, “If you are the Son of God … prove it.”

When Jesus comes on the scene, he doesn’t seem too interested in proving he’s God. He just is, and he shows the world what God is like. For the hopeless, suffering, afflicted, and broken, his arrival is salvation. For the ones who seek power and comfort no matter who it hurts, his arrival will topple every system that props up their existence.

I imagine if we asked any of the religious leaders mentioned in Matthew 12 if they believed in God, they’d emphatically answer yes! But when God in flesh doesn’t fit their expectations, they resist him. Somehow, they’d crafted a God in their imaginations that made Jesus unrecognizable.

It’s tempting for all of us to imagine God to be more predictable, convenient, and manageable than he really is. Yet the kingdom of God is as disruptive as it is beautiful. When we allow Jesus to renew our hearts, he also begins the work of making all things new in every part of our lives.

This renewal can feel uncomfortable and even disorienting as we see our habits, finances, relationships, and politics through the lens of his truth. But he promises that he is the way to a life that is truly free and deeply satisfying. And he promises that he’ll be with us for every part of the journey.

Reflection:

  • Have you ever had your mind changed about who Jesus is or what he’s like? What prompted that experience, and how has it affected your relationship with God?
  • Have you ever wished God were more predictable or manageable?
  • In what ways have you experienced deeper freedom and bigger joy as the reality of God’s truth has transformed your life?