In today’s gospel, Jesus chastises the people by saying: “This generation is an evil generation;

In today’s gospel, Jesus chastises the people by saying: “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given to you except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of man to this generation.” (St. Luke 11:29-30) His response was provoked because the people were demanding a “sign” proving that Jesus was the Messiah. But as is recorded in Mark’s gospel, Jesus says, "Why does this generation seek a sign?" (Mark 8:12)

During Jesus' time, the Jews expected that the coming of the Messiah would be accompanied by extraordinary events: great signs and wonders from heaven. This, therefore, is why the religious leaders were constantly testing Jesus by asking Him to perform a "sign," such as causing the sun to stand still in the sky for a day or to make the stars dance around the moon. It seems they were much more interested in supernatural phenomena than in simply hearing the word of God. What is most ironic, however, is that having the "Word of God" in their very presence was the greatest sign of all!

Fr. John