Signs and Sanity – 9/21/25

Alan Noble begins one of his books lamenting the impact of sin and sorrow on multiple generations. He writes,

“People close to me were raped, molested, and beaten by parents, spouses, and family friends. They were addicted to alcohol, meth, cocaine, and God knows what else. They went hungry and lived in filth. They were orphaned. Abandoned. Neglected. Imprisoned. Willing to do almost anything to feel alive, even overdose. They lived hard, hard lives where their daily experience was either acute suffering or prolonged numbness. And this horror was passed on to their children, and their grandchildren, and I don’t know where it will end.”

In an article entitled “When Someone You Love Chooses Self-Destruction,” Noble adds that God has intervened in a number of his family members and transformed their lives. He writes,

“Sin may be passed down, but sin doesn’t get the last word.”

But then he adds,

“But sometimes it feels like it does. If you, like me, have people you love who have chosen lives of self-destruction, whether it’s through drugs, violence, sexual behaviors, or various addictions, loving them can be a heavy burden. On the one hand, you deeply desire their good, and you wish you could save them under your own efforts. On the other hand, you can’t. But that doesn’t make it easy or simple to live with the burden of love you have for someone hurting with self-destructive tendencies. I think to survive this, you must learn to grieve well, to embrace our sphere of responsibility, and to accept God’s sovereignty.”

1. to grieve well

Let’s walk through those three real quickly. To survive loving someone well who has self-destructive tendencies, we must learn to, first of all, grieve well. This includes and must begin with us recognizing that we all have self-destructive tendencies. The workaholic will typically be rewarded for his self-destructive tendencies. The alcoholic will typically not. Not all sin has equal consequences, but it may still be sin, so we lament. We grieve with humility and prayer. We groan. We groan to God. To groan, biblically, is to moan for shalom. To moan for shalom. What’s shalom? Wholeness, peace in a holistic sense, things are the way they’re supposed to be. Grieve well.

2. to embrace our sphere of responsibility

Second, we embrace our sphere of responsibility. This is often extremely difficult. We talked about, a couple years ago, the seasons of Christian parenting, that as our kids get bigger, our sphere of responsibility gets smaller, and to know what to do when takes wisdom from above. We can easily blame ourselves unfairly or try to assist unhelpfully. Alan Noble observes,

“Our sphere of influence is usually much smaller than we think.”

So we must seek wise counsel and ask humbly, “What can I do?” And I would say, ask humbly and hopefully, “What can I do?”

3. to accept God’s sovereignty

Third, we must accept God’s sovereignty. This does not mean we go limp. We recognize our inability to even save ourselves, so certainly we cannot save the one we love. So we keep casting our cares on the One who is both great and good, and the One who can speak to our loved one who is in a self-destructive cycle, in ways and at times we could never speak to them. We lament, we love, we serve, we wait, we pray.

This is hard. I sometimes wonder if this is how Jesus felt every day he was on earth. He taught so beautifully, he healed so powerfully, he ministered so compassionately. As parents, we can always look back, or as loved ones, we can look back and think, “Oh, I could have done that better.” Jesus never can do that. He ministers perfectly, and yet people still reject him, hate him, and—as we’re seeing unfold in the Gospel of Matthew—desire to kill him. In Matthew 16, Jesus opens our eyes to one reason why.

In verse one, we see Jesus and his disciples returning briefly from the Gentile region where we saw last week, him feeding 4,000 men (and many women and children) in a Gentile Region. They are immediately ambushed when they come back to Israel by a detachment of religious leaders: the Pharisees and Sadducees.

There’s just one article before them, communicating that this group of people who never work together (they hate each other) might be, equivalent to today, Republicans and Democrats actually working together. The Pharisees would have been known as the conservatives, the Sadducees as the progressives. Most of the time, they’re at each other’s throats, but here, they are united in their hatred for Jesus. So they come to him to test him.

This little paragraph could be divided into three parts: the request, the response, and the reason. The request, response, and reason. We’ll look at those one at a time.

1. The request

First, the request. Notice, they do not approach Jesus with a sincere question. They are testing him. They demand “a sign from heaven” (Matthew 16:1). In other words, “I know you’re healing the blind. I know you’re feeding the multitudes. You’re casting out demons and raising the dead. But we want to see something spectacular, theatrical, like a laser show from heaven. Or evaporate that legion of Roman soldiers. Do something that impresses us, convinces us, so eye-catching that no one can miss it.” That’s the request.

2. The response

Second, look at the response.

“He answered them, ‘When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening’” (Matthew 16:2-3a).

Jesus responds to the request for a sign by illustrating their capacity to think logically. He’s getting at their scientific minds, referring to their meteorological prowess. We generally know this ancient saying as, “Red sky at night, sailors’ delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors’ warning.”

The red sky at night— there is some science behind this. It usually indicates that the setting sun is shining through a high concentration of dust and water plus high pressure, which generally is a sign of good weather. However, when there’s a red sky in the morning, that usually indicates that the rising sun is shining through high water content, plus low pressure (high pressure has moved on), which typically indicates bad weather.

Now, there are many exceptions to this, which—due to my microscopic meteorological understanding—we’re not going to have time to go into, because I have no idea what I’m talking about, but that’s Jesus’s response.

Look at the reason, verse 3:

“You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times” (Matthew 16:3).

In one of his lesser-known books called Think, John Piper tells of a time when he was in seminary. His professors often would distinguish between two different ways of thinking: Hellenistic and Hebraic. Hellenistic is just another word for Greek, Hebraic (or Semitic), often contrasted between Western and Eastern.

The Hellenistic is characterized by being more rational (think logical, linear, syllogistic). What’s a syllogism? The most famous one probably is “all men are mortal.” Socrates is a man, therefore Socrates is what? Mortal. Yeah, that’s Hellenistic. Hebraic, in contrast, is more relational, not so much interested in sequential logic but in connections. Hellenistic is theoretical, whereas Hebraic is more experiential. Hellenistic is more about knowing, and Hebraic is more about being or doing.

Now, we are told by these professors that the reason we need to understand this contrast is because, if you approach the Bible with Hellenistic assumptions, you’re going to misread the Bible because the Bible is not so much interested in the rational as the relational.

Of course, there is truth to this. The Bible is not, as we’re going to see in a few moments, about raw reason, mere rationalism, as if we are brains on a stick, and that’s it. The Bible never stops with merely knowing. That’s true. And also, the other big principle that is true about this contrast is: if we try to map on the Bible our own cultural assumptions, we will often misread it. That is true.

However, as Piper points out, anyone who actually reads the Bible as a whole cannot conclude that reason and relationship are at odds with one another. They should travel together. Notice here, Jesus is using a rational argument to show the leaders their relational infidelity. It’s not one or the other.

Look at the argument Jesus is using in verses 2 and 3. We could call this, rather ironically, a Semitic syllogism.

Major premise: Red skies in the evening are a sign of fair weather.
Minor premise: This evening, the skies are red.
Conclusion: Therefore, the weather most likely will be fair.

Jesus is commending the Pharisees and the Sadducees for their logical reasoning. Look at verse 3.

“You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky.” You’re using the brains God gave you. Two thumbs up. That’s a good thing. However, he doesn’t stop there. Notice, he’s moving from the rational toward the relational in verse three: “But you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”

What are the signs of the times? The Greek word for signs is “semeion.” This noun appears 13 times in Matthew, but it only appears in three places: chapters 12, 16, and 24. You’ll notice it’s very densely packed. In chapter 12, it appears four times, but three of them are in one verse. The same with chapter 16. It appears five times, but three of them are in one verse. Both of those have to do with Jesus’s first coming. Then you’re going to see another appearance (which we’re going to dive into next year, Lord willing), which is chapter 24. It appears four times and is referring to his second coming. Let me give you an example of that.

Matthew 24:3, “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be [there it is:] the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’”

Jesus goes through some signs, but he’s talking not about his first coming (because he’s already come), he’s talking about his second coming. The Pharisees and the Sadducees are rejecting his first coming in the sense that they don’t believe he is the promised One.

In most of Matthew, the signs that Jesus is referring to, “the signs of the times,” are often seen with little expressions like “it is written,” a lot of fulfillment of Old Testament scripture. But the bigger sign is that the whole book of Matthew is broken into (as we’ve seen many times) the words and works, and words and works, and words— all the way through Matthew (a section on words, a section on works) as signs that Jesus is the promised One. Let me just give you a few examples.

At the end of his most famous sermon (Matthew 5-7), Matthew 7:28 says,

“And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28-29).

So his teaching is unlike any of our religious leaders.

When John the Baptist asked if Jesus is the One who is to come, in Matthew 11:5, Jesus answered,

“…the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Matthew 11:5-6).

Now, to anyone familiar with the Old Testament, as they hear all those miracles, their minds immediately go back to Isaiah 29, Isaiah 35— all these prophecies pointing as signs of the coming one. One more example.

When the Pharisees were rejecting the signs, arguing that Jesus was casting out demons by demons, Jesus responded in Matthew 12:28,

“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Jesus is essentially giving us a messianic syllogism.
Major premise: The signs of the Messiah will be his words and works.
Minor premise: Jesus is doing these words and words.
Conclusion: Therefore, Jesus is the Messiah, the coming One.

Jesus is saying the signs are clear, and just like you use your brains to read the signs of the weather, why won’t you read the signs of the coming One? Then he answers that question, and you’re going to see a beautiful merging of the rational with the relational. Verse four:

“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign” (Matthew 16:4a).

Here, Jesus is explaining why they are missing the signs, and it’s not primarily a rational problem. He’s already said you have the cognitive capabilities to pick up signs. You demonstrate that scientifically with the weather. But you cannot pick up the signs of the times. Why? It’s not because you have a rational problem, but because you have a relational problem. What does that mean?

Over the years, I have counseled many, many couples who are in marriage crisis. Over time, as they’re seeking counsel, they may be willing to read a book, they’re learning strategies, and as you cover things like humility and friendship and communication skills and marital strategies and all these different vital things to know, you soon realize it’s doing no good. Their marriage isn’t getting any better. It continues to struggle, and it may even get worse. Small differences become big conflicts. Then it comes out.

It’s not always this, but at times, she’s having an emotional affair with a guy at work. If she’s honest, she will say things like, “He listens to me. He gets me. We connect in ways I’ve never connected with my husband.” Or he’s looking at porn. And you suddenly realize, “Ah, no wonder none of this made sense.”

No wonder. It doesn’t matter. You can go through Re|engage 20 times. You can read all the marriage books you want. You can go to counseling year after year and learn all the strategies. But you don’t really (primarily) have a rational problem, you have a relational problem with God that leads to a broken human relationship.

You could say it this way: When I am relationally unfaithful, I will be rationally unresponsive.

When I’m relationally unfaithful, I will be rationally unresponsive.

Marriage won’t make sense. Truths about marriage will seem irrelevant. “That may be for another couple, but that’s not for me.” You’ll find yourself thinking, “People just don’t get it, what it’s like in my marriage.” “I think I married the wrong person.” “We’re just incompatible.” No, perhaps twisted love leads to twisted logic. Twisted love leads to twisted logic. Let me show you a couple of examples of this.

In Proverbs 9, the Sage warns against the dangers of immorality. In Proverbs 9:17,

“Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”

What is that? If you look at the context, the context of that is the context of infidelity. Having an emotional affair will bring bling to your bling-less life. Sin is fun. Verse 18,

“But he does not know that the dead are there—”

Who’s the “he”? The simple person, the simple man or woman who thinks this is going to satisfy my heart. He does not know, do you see?

“…that her guests are in the depths of Sheol” (Proverbs 9:18).

When I am relationally unfaithful, I will be rationally unresponsive. “He does not know.” His relational unfaithfulness is blinding him to the signs that he is moving toward the grave. It’s like a blind person stumbling into a graveyard and then falling into a grave. There are cones and warning signs all around, but he cannot see the signs.

One more example. This is everywhere. I just stumbled upon this reading through Hosea this week:

“The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad, because of your great iniquity” (Hosea 9:7).

Do you see the tight connection there between badness and madness? Because of your iniquity, even the people who should be leading the way don’t know the way. Even the man of the Spirit is a maniac, is insane, mad.

What is God saying? Theologically, this is called the noetic effects of the fall. There is a blindness that comes when our hearts are divided. This is what Jesus is saying to the religious leaders. And he’s not primarily talking at all about marital infidelity (although that applies), but spiritual infidelity. He is saying, “You guys can read all the physical signs of the weather, but you can’t read the spiritual signs of my coming.” “Your betrayal makes you act ignorant, illogical.”

Notice what Jesus doesn’t do at this point, because I kind of want him to do this. I’m like, “Do another one!” And Jesus is like, “No more magic tricks, because it’s not going to help. It’s not going to make any difference, because your problem is not a sign deficiency, it’s a heart infidelity. You don’t need more signs. You need a new heart.”

This is where he ends. Look at verse 4:

“But no sign will be given to it [that is, the unfaithful generation] except the sign of Jonah” (Matthew 16:4).

What’s the sign of Jonah? Remember Easter? We spent Easter in chapter 12:38-40 exploring the sign of Jonah, which is the death and then especially the resurrection of Jesus. The sign that they need is the resurrection. It’s another way of saying “you don’t need new signs, you need new life. You need a new heart.” Irrationality doesn’t flow from a sign deficiency, but from an unfaithful heart.

How should we respond to what we’ve just heard from Jesus?

1. Personally

Let’s respond first, personally. Jesus is saying to these religious leaders, “You can read the signs of my creation, but you can’t read the signs of my new creation.” You can read the signs of my creation, which is a good thing. He’s not knocking that.

You guys are thinking scientifically, which is vital. Science is describing God’s world. God is pro-science. He made it. He’s more scientific than the greatest human scientist. So he’s not undermining that at all, but he is saying, “Don’t stop there.”

What’s keeping you from going further is that your heart is divided. It’s like trying to work on your marriage when you’re really married to your work or you’re really married to your money or your porn or your coworker. You can’t do it, and that’s what Jesus is saying. He is describing them as spiritual adulterers.

When James, Jesus’s half-brother, calls the people he is writing to, in James 4:4, “You adulterous people!” he calls for a very specific response in verse 5, James 4:5.

“Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’?” (James 4:5)

God’s heart for you is not hostility, but jealousy. He wants your heart. Not just your head, but all of you. So what do I do? Verse 6:

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (James 4:6).

I don’t want to miss your signs, Father. So what do I need to do?

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you” (James 4:10).

Humility is the way to grace, and grace is the way to God. Grace is God’s empowering favor that forgives and then fuels us to do what we could not do on our own.

Personally, will you humble your heart before God? Recognize, “I want to know more. I would love to see more signs, but I know my primary problem is deeper than that. Because if I don’t humble my heart, no matter what you do before me, I will miss it.” So will you humble your heart before God?

2. On behalf of others

Second, we should respond, I think, on behalf of others. Where I get this from the text here is, if you go back to Matthew 16:4, he describes this group of religious leaders as representing “an evil and adulterous generation.” A modern way we could say that is “your infidelity is trending.” It’s the way of the day. It’s not just an individual problem; it’s contagious. Therefore, an entire generation seems blind to the things Jesus is doing.

You could imagine Jesus standing before us today saying, “You guys are amazing. You’ve invented the toaster and the heated toilet seat, the pogo stick, the iPhone, all these things. You put a man on the moon. You’ve used the gifts I’ve given you, the brains I’ve given you. All of that is good. But you are blind to who I am and what I’m doing.” So humble your heart and seek him.

So then, how do we respond when that burden that I just described is deep in your heart for not only loved ones who seem to be on a cycle of self-destruction, but an entire culture? Let’s go back to where we began the sermon. I think those three things are a good way for us to respond collectively on behalf of others, on behalf of our communities, and our country.

Grieve well. In Mark’s account of this same scene, Jesus is described as sighing deeply. The Greek there is vivid. It’s like “to groan upward,” like that ache that bubbles up from within us. Brothers and sisters, if you don’t learn how to take that ache to God, you will become either super discouraged or unrighteously angry. We have to learn to groan well, to grieve, and then take that bubbling up, all the way up to God. Grieve well.

Then, second, embrace your sphere of responsibility. One of the dangers of living in a 24/7 news cycle and social media is that every single day, we are hearing of catastrophic events. Some closer, some further, some global. It can easily leave us paralyzed with fear or anger. So it’s vital that we learn how to accept our sphere of responsibility.

“Okay, God, I’m going to cast this to you. I’m going to groan to God. But then I’m also going to ask, Lord, what can I do in the relationships you’ve given me? In the community I live in, with the neighbors I have near me. The people who—love me or hate me—you’ve called me to love and serve and sacrifice for, and receive maybe affection or antagonism. I want to start close to home, in my school, in my neighborhood, on my street, in my office.

If we don’t begin there, we’re missing the calling of Christ. So we humble our hearts. We love our neighbors. We offer up our gifts and our time and our resources to make a difference in the lives nearest us.

Then, third, we accept God’s sovereignty. I just, two days ago, finished reading through the book of Daniel. Daniel was in exile. He had been kidnapped out of his country and had served several kings who were extremely cruel and immoral, yet he wrote this, Daniel 2:20.

“Daniel answered and said: ‘Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things [so we can see the signs]; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him” (Daniel 2:20-22).

Father, please, may we be a people who, as you’ve been teaching us in Matthew, begin with our own hearts. I pray that you are drawing our hearts to you this morning, that we would humble our hearts and acknowledge our limits, our failures, our hopes.

Then, Lord, we would learn how to grieve well, as we run to you. That we would know how to accept the calling that you have for us, so that we would serve in the area that you have called us to. Then, Lord, in your time and way, you may expand that, but that we would begin near and small. And then, Lord, most of all, may we look to you and trust you, because you know what you’re doing. The darkness is not dark to you. So Lord, we are so excited about all that you are doing right now, and we do not want to be blind. We want to see. We pray this in Jesus’s name, amen.