The Leaders Ask for a Miracle^(A)

16 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, wanting to ·trick [test] him. So they asked him to show them a ·miracle [sign] from ·God [^Lheaven; ^Cpossibly a sign in the sky, but more likely a Jewish way of saying “from God”].

² Jesus answered,^[a] “·At sunset [In the evening] you say we will have good weather, because the sky is red. ³ And in the morning you say that it will be ·a rainy day [stormy; bad weather], because the sky is red and ·dark [threatening; overcast]. You see ·these signs in [the appearance of] the sky and know ·what they mean [how to interpret them]. ·In the same way [or However; On the other hand], you ·see the things that I am doing now, but you don’t know their meaning [^Lcannot interpret the signs of the times]. ⁴ ·Evil and sinful people [^LAn evil/wicked and adulterous generation] ·ask for [seek; demand] a miracle as a sign, but they will not be given any sign, except the sign of Jonah [see 12:40; Jon. 1:17].” Then Jesus left them and went away.

The Leaders Ask for a Miracle^(A)

¹¹ The Pharisees came to Jesus and began to ·ask him questions [argue/dispute with him]. ·Hoping to trap [Trying to test] him, they asked Jesus for a ·miracle [sign] from ·God [^Lheaven; ^Cpossibly a sign in the sky, but more likely a Jewish way of saying “from God”]. ¹² Jesus ·sighed [groaned] deeply and said, “Why ·do you people [^Ldoes this generation] ask for a miracle as a sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to ·you [this generation].” ¹³ Then Jesus left the Pharisees and went in the boat to the other side of the lake.

¹⁶ Other people, wanting to test Jesus, asked him to give them a sign from heaven.

The People Want a Miracle^(A)

²⁹ As the crowd grew larger, Jesus ·said [began to say], “·The people who live today are evil [^LThis generation is an evil/wicked generation]. They ·want to see [seek] a ·miracle for a sign [^Lsign], but no sign will be given them, except the sign of Jonah [Matt. 12:39–40].

Understanding the Times^(A)

⁵⁴ Then Jesus said to the ·people [crowds], “When you see clouds coming up in the west, [^Limmediately] you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and [^Lso; thus] it happens. ⁵⁵ When you feel the wind begin to blow from the south [^Cthe desert], you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it happens. ⁵⁶ Hypocrites! You know how to ·understand [interpret] the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you ·understand [know how to interpret] ·what is happening now [this present time; ^Cthe time of the coming of the Kingdom]?