As we continue our journey in the season of Lent, we turn our attention to the focus of today, which is “signs.”
Jesus said something very interesting about signs. He said that there will only be one sign given in order to confirm that he was the Messiah, the one sent by God in order to establish the kingdom here on earth. He said that that sign will be the sign of Jonah. In the same way that Jonah spent three days in the belly of the fish, so he would spend three days in the ground. This is a great mystery. Because many of us are living in a time where we are looking for more signs and more wonders. We are constantly hearing calls from across the Church for God to do something new, to do something fresh in our midst.
But Jesus Himself said that only one sign was needed in order for us to know that God is who he claimed to be. This is one of the great challenges that we face today. We must make sure that we are not asking for god to do more than he said was necessary in order for us to understand who he is and what he desires for us. In order for us to truly understand the power of the resurrection, we must see it as the most glorious and ultimate reality that God has bestowed upon us. This is the keystone of our faith.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ marks God’s greatest achievement in bringing about the salvation of the world. Each and every person who hears the gospel and who turns their life to Christ has witnessed the fulfillment of the greatest sign that has ever taken place, the transformation of the human heart.
Too often we ask God to do more, to say more than what he has done or already said. I think this is a very dangerous way of living our lives. And, I believe it reveals a kind of shallowness to what we understand about the Gospel.
In this season of Lent. We should turn our attention to the great sign of the cross, and remember that it is in the resurrection that we find our great hope. It is not in the temporary appeasement of our heart’s desires. It is not found in an ever-increasing number of demonstrations of God’s power or in renewed calls for God to manifest his goodness. We must allow the truth of the resurrection to serve as our guiding light on our journey.
This is the power of Lent. It calls us to stop looking for something new. And it forces us to look back at that which has already been done. Something that is as old as God himself.
