The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 16:1-4, “The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.
2 But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’
3 “And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?
4 “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.”

Oh, I know you’ve done it! So have I –probably more times than either of us would want to admit. Done what? We’ve asked a question of someone either in jest or just to see whether he could answer it. It’s often more humorous for the respondent than it is for the questioner. Only Jesus could know what was truly in the minds of the inquirers. No one could know for certain, but my guess is that Jesus smiled within Himself as He answered the question.

The Pharisees believed in miracles and aligned with many things that were spiritually true. The Sadducees denied miracles and virtually everything for which the Pharisees stood. (That is why they were sad, you see.) Although Jesus knew what both groups believed, He replied to them anyway. His response was one of those “gotcha” replies that left both groups astounded and not a little embarrassed. It was almost like saying, “You know all about the weather around you, but haven’t the slightest knowledge of what the people around you believe or are doing.”

Then having given His answer to their inquiry, He introduced them to Jonah, the prophet who feared going to Nineveh with the Gospel, but found himself in the midst of a spiritual revival as he preached the Gospel to them.

There are many today, who simply adore the ministry of certain ministers, but haven’t the slightest knowledge of what they acturally believe. We need to be careful and stay in the Word of God, listening only and carefully to pastors and teachers who adhere closely to the Holy Scriptures. It’s easy to become intrenched in wrongful teaching. It’s as true of ministers as it is of us: “It’s not how loudly we shout, or how highly we jump. It’s how we run when we hit the ground.”

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom