{"id":908,"date":"2021-11-02T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-02T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=908&2021"},"modified":"2021-10-28T18:00:33","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T00:00:33","slug":"satans-secret-trap-matthew-12-38-45","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/satans-secret-trap-matthew-12-38-45\/","title":{"rendered":"Satan’s Secret Trap: Matthew 12:38-45"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Matthew 12:38-45 (GW)<\/div>
\r\n

38\u00a0<\/sup>Then some experts in Moses\u2019 Teachings and Pharisees said, \u201cTeacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign.\u201d<\/p>

39\u00a0<\/sup>He responded, \u201cThe people of an evil and unfaithful era look for a miraculous sign. But the only sign they will get is the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40\u00a0<\/sup>Just as Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 41\u00a0<\/sup>The men of Nineveh will stand up with you at the time of judgment and will condemn you, because they turned to God and changed the way they thought and acted when Jonah spoke his message. But look, someone greater than Jonah is here! 42\u00a0<\/sup>The queen from the south will stand up at the time of judgment with you. She will condemn you, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon\u2019s wisdom. But look, someone greater than Solomon is here!<\/p>

43\u00a0<\/sup>\u201cWhen an evil spirit comes out of a person, it goes through dry places looking for a place to rest. But it doesn\u2019t find any. 44\u00a0<\/sup>Then it says, \u2018I\u2019ll go back to the home I left.\u2019 When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean, and in order. 45\u00a0<\/sup>Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself. They enter and take up permanent residence there. In the end the condition of that person is worse than it was before. That is what will happen to the evil people of this day.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Read Matthew 12:38-45<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

During Jesus\u2019 ministry, Matthew describes an event where some leaders request that Jesus show them a miraculous sign to prove who He was. While on the surface this seems like a reasonable request, when we look more closely at the details, we can see how this might not have been a trap in the typical sense, but that it was a trap that Satan had prompted behind the scenes.<\/p>\r\n

Matthew tells us that during one of the times that Jesus was preaching to the people, \u201csome experts in Moses\u2019 Teachings and Pharisees said, \u2018Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign.\u2019<\/strong>\u201d (v. 38)<\/p>\r\n

Without going into great detail regarding Jesus\u2019 response, the question\/request itself is fascinating. On one hand, this request is a perfectly valid one, given that Jesus came to be the Messiah. As one way to clearly demonstrate that He was sent from God, a miracle could clearly support this.<\/p>\r\n

However, there was a sneaky trap hidden in this request as well. The religious leaders and Pharisees may not have set the trap up, but Satan had. This trap has to do with where Jesus was placing His focus.<\/p>\r\n

When Jesus came to earth, His number one focus was doing God\u2019s will, and by doing this, He was also giving glory to God. While Jesus came to show humanity what God is like, Jesus was most interested in accomplishing what God (The Father) had for Him to do. Jesus never performed a miracle to draw the focus onto Himself. Instead, He performed miracles and healings to give glory to God and to push Satan\u2019s kingdom back.<\/p>\r\n

In this request, had Jesus performed some miraculous sign, it would have broken His mission of giving God glory. If Jesus had given these leaders a sign from heaven, He would have taken the focus off of God and placed it onto Himself. While the leaders might not have been aware of the trap, Jesus could see it clearly.<\/p>\r\n

But not only that, the simple act of asking for a miraculous sign in itself is odd when looking back on the event. Jesus performed miracle after miracle and the only criteria that someone needed to witnessing these miracles was being present with Jesus when someone needed help.<\/p>\r\n

By asking for a miraculous sign, these religious leaders and Pharisees tell us that they rejected all of Jesus\u2019 miracles up to that point as tricks or magic. They show their skepticism in this request because there were too many examples of miracles prior to their request to be able to ignore.<\/p>\r\n

These religious leaders fall into a trap that many of us fall into. These people wanted to see a sign personally rather than believe based upon someone else\u2019s word.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

However, faith doesn\u2019t come through always witnessing something. Faith is built when we test ideas and find out if they are valid or not. We can only truly build faith in Jesus if we choose to walk with Him and within His plan. The trap these leaders had fallen into was requiring a sign in order to believe \u2013 and Jesus\u2019 response tells us that people who demand this may eventually get a sign, but the sign they receive won\u2019t be a blessing to them.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"During Jesus\u2019 ministry, Matthew describes an event where some leaders request that Jesus show them a miraculous sign to prove who He was. 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