Matthew 16:1-18 (BBE)
1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came and, testing him, made a request to him to give them a sign from heaven.
2 But in answer he said to them, At nightfall you say, The weather will be good, for the sky is red.
3 And in the morning, The weather will be bad today, for the sky is red and angry. You are able to see the face of heaven, but not the signs of the times.
4 An evil and false generation is searching after a sign; and no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. And he went away from them.
5 And when the disciples came to the other side they had not taken thought to get bread.
6 And Jesus said to them, Take care to have nothing to do with the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
7 And they were reasoning among themselves, saying, We took no bread.
8 And Jesus, seeing it, said, O you of little faith, why are you reasoning among yourselves, because you have no bread?
9 Do you still not see, or keep in mind the five cakes of bread of the five thousand, and the number of baskets you took up?
10 Or the seven cakes of bread of the four thousand, and the number of baskets you took up?
11 How is it that you do not see that I was not talking to you about bread, but about keeping away from the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?
12 Then they saw that it was not the leaven of bread which he had in mind, but the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13 Now when Jesus had come into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he said, questioning his disciples, Who do men say that the Son of man is?
14 And they said, Some say, John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.
15 He says to them, But who do you say that I am?
16 And Simon Peter made answer and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus made answer and said to him, A blessing on you, Simon Bar-jonah: because this knowledge has not come to you from flesh and blood, but from my Father in heaven.
18 And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock will my church be based, and the doors of hell will not overcome it.

Many people set standards of behaviours for God as a condition for their faith. “If God would just solve this one problem for me, I’d have no trouble believing.” Usually, it involves some kind of miraculous appearance or deed.
Many people have set such conditions for God, but few have tried harder than the Pharisees and Sadducees. We see how they make their demands for a miracle quite plain to Jesus. But Jesus, just as plainly declined.
As the disciples pledge their belief in Jesus, they can’t cope with the predictions of his death, and they even squabble over who will be the greatest in his kingdom. As you read, ask yourself, “What kind of proof would convince me of Christ’s divinity?”
There are no miracles that will convince sceptics; they’ve already committed themselves to not believe. Many people demand proof of God’s existence or power, but their demands hide the real issue that they have already chosen not to believe in God. Until we believe that God can do miracles, we won’t even entertain the possibility that something we saw was a miracle.
Julie Andrews as Maria in The Sound of Music is sent to be the governess for the children of Captain Von Trapp. Thinking about what challenges and adventures lie ahead, she sings about confidence: “I have confidence in springtime, I have confidence in fall she declares, “I have confidence in confidence alone!” While Maria may have had confidence in confidence alone, we don’t have faith in our faith. To have faith in one’s faith is an empty faith. We have faith in Christ. Our faith is more than wishful thinking. It is trust and reliance on a real person – Jesus, about a real event – chiefly His death and resurrection. It is trust and reliance on the real promise of a real God about a real future. A future, which although it is yet to come, is just as real as today or yesterday.
John 20:19 sees Jesus come into a room without using the doors. Some interpreters understand the doors being locked to imply that Jesus miraculously passed through the door or the walls of the room. Since Jesus clearly had a real physical body with flesh and bones after he rose from the dead, it is possible that the door was miraculously opened so that Jesus could enter just like Peter and the Angel in Acts 12:10.
The resurrection is of utmost importance to the Gospel and without the resurrection, the Gospel message is powerless to save. The resurrection of Christ means that we can count on God to keep His promises. It assures us that His Word is True and Faithful.
If you doubt Christ because you haven’t “seen a miracle,” ask whether a miracle would really convince you or just entrench your scepticism and remember that the cross is all the proof need to sustain your faith in Christ, not an outward show if power. Jesus said, in John 20:29 that “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” Seeing God’s work in your life begins when you simply step forward in faith and believe in Jesus as God’s Son who rose from the dead on Easter morning as the only way of salvation. Positive proof that Christ is risen is the hope of glory in you.
Shalom