The Signs We Seek

Gospel: Luke 11: 29-32

An evil generation seeks signs, and every age and generations seeks them.  It is evil to seek signs because we are not really looking for the will of God in them.  Instead, we seek signs to confirm our own biases, interpretations, preference, and prejudices.  Jesus' generation follows him and looks for signs to see if he is the Messiah of their own crafting - the political one who will overthrow the Romans.  When he is not, then Jesus is cast aside like yesterday's news.

We are no different in our time and place.  Some create Jesus as the culture warrior king who smites and hates foreigners and everyone else they hate.  Others create the  social justice warrior Jesus equally judgmental and harsh, who find bias in everyone but themselves. The scriptures and the tradition are pored over in search of justifications for these caricatures we have created, setting aside anything that does not fit our portrait palate.  

In all of this the real Jesus is put to death, but in each age continues to rise from the ashes of our follies that all come to ruin.  And this is the one and only authentic sign given - death and resurrection - the one and only hope for all people of all times and places.  Therein lies the real, authentic Jesus who continually heals, liberates, and nourishes us.