"The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came and tempting desired Him that He should shew them a sign from heaven. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening , ye say, It will be fair weather for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign and there shall be no sign given unto it save the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them and departed."

The Lord Jesus Christ had carried out some tremendous signs, irrefutably adequate testimony to His claim to be the Son of God. In the feeding of the five thousand in chapter 14, (in Jewish Gallilee) and the feeding of the 4000 in chapter 15 (in Gentile Tyre and Sidon) He graciously demonstrated His ability to bring blessing to all. In the doctrinal commentary in John 6 on the feeding of the 5000 the Lord Jesus clearly explains that He is the bread which came down from heaven. He is the heavenly One. In John 6 we discover that this wondrous revelation, while believed on by some, was rejected by many. It is here where Mathew takes up the story. "Now, please shew us a sign from heaven!" they ask, in complete denial of the earlier signs clearly demonstrating His heavenly Being. It is moving to note that this is referred to as a "temptation". We know of course that He is impeccable, cannot sin. (" A good tree CANNOT bring forth evil fruit Matt 7 v 18," He had earlier explained). Nevertheless, the blasphemous insinuation of these unbelieving men was no less hurtful to His Holy soul. The Hebrews writer puts it simply "He suffered being tempted (Heb 2 v 18)."

The Lord Jesus now turns to the sky to give what appears to be a simple lesson in meteorology. In childhood we learned the proverb, "Red sky at night is the shepherd’s delight, red sky at morning is the shepherd’s warning." But this is much more than a lesson on weather forecasting. This is a very moving prophesy of Our Lord Jesus Christ regarding the signs of the times. "O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?"

What was there in Our Lord’s parable of weather forecasting which depicted the signs of the times?

While the Lord was upon earth it was still day. He said " I must work the works of Him that sent Me while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work. As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world. John (John 9 v 4)." As He was speaking to the Pharisees, the time of His departure out of the world was approaching. Then would begin the long night of His absence in which we now dwell. The prophet Isaiah in an analysis of what would befall Israel should it reject the suffering servant of Jehovah in Isaiah chapter 50 describes the awfulness of this night for the nation.

It is clear in this section, because Israel has failed to obey the voice of the suffering Servant of Jehovah, it is now in a night season. For light Israel is relying on its ability to generate sparks. "Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that ye have kindled!" says the prophet. However such frantic efforts to receive illumination are pathetically futile, all the while the Servant of Jehovah is rejected. The rejection of Christ by the nation of Israel brought in a night of darkness for the nation. During this night, attempts to bring illumination from the endless study of religious rituals has only brought disappointment and heartache. Nevertheless during this night of the absence of the Lord Jesus Christ, it has pleased God that His Son should be revealed in the preaching of the Gospel. In Revelation 1, John is longing for the day when the tribulations and difficulties of believers will be brought to an end when the Lord Jesus Christ is manifested in glory to take up His kingdom. Wonderful prospect indeed! However God had something to reveal to John. In this the night of His absence, God expects Christ to be manifested today- not as judge, but in the faithful testimony and light bearing of believers, individually and collectively. In the tabernacle of old it was the job of the lamps of the 6 branched candlestick, to cast light over against the central candlestick because it symbolised the Lord Jesus Christ. The same principle applies to the 7 individual candlesticks in Revelation 1, which speak of the respective testimonies of 7 literal assemblies in Asia minor. Their job is to illuminate the person of Christ in the night of His rejection. So said our Lord Jesus Christ in the sermon on the mount, "Ye are the light of the world (Matt 5 v 14)".

Now we are beginning to understand the order in which the events of Matthew 16 are recorded for us. It is during this dark night of Israel’s setting aside and the absence of Our Lord Jesus Christ that God is doing something very wonderful. He is building His church. And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (Matt 16 v 18). Testimony bearing in this dark night is no longer dependent on poor failing Israel. Rather, Jews and Gentiles together united under grace are bearing testimony to Him. "Don’t you remember the feeding of the 5000, and the feeding of the 4000?" He asks them- a very powerful reminder that He had come to bring blessing equally to Jew and Gentile. This is the wonderful principle of grace operative in the church which He is building today.

However there was one thing which would threaten this divine masterpiece. It was the leaven of the Pharisees and the Saducees! "Whatever was this leaven?" the disciples wondered. The Lord explained. It was the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Saducees. In this immediate context what was the doctrine of the Pharisees and the Saducees? It was a failure to accept the finality of the sign of the prophet Jonas. Jonas did not merely bring a message to Nineveh, he WAS that message. His experience in the deep, foreshadowed eloquently the death burial and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. God has no other message for this world than this. This is the greatest sign this world will ever see how that "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that He was buried and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures ( 1 Cor 15 v 3-4)." Failure to accept this as final, and once and for all is a fatal error. It is the leaven of the Pharisees. For them faith alone in Christ alone was NOT enough. Alas it was not long into the history of the early church when this sad leaven began to be made manifest. Tragically, as the Lord himself prophesied in Matthew 13 v 33, the leaven was hid in the 3 measures of meal until the whole was leavened. Christendom for centuries has said no to the scriptural principle of faith alone in Christ alone. Christendom is looking for something else- Christ plus the insertion of some good works or Christ plus human merit to win God’s favour or Christ plus the traditions of men. Alas, the insertion of something in addition to the all sufficiency of Christ is equivalent to denying His all sufficiency as Lord and Saviour and constitutes error in God’s sight. This is the leaven of the Scribes and Pharisees.

When the Lord was warning the disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees they were slow to understand. Yet this was not an optional lesson in discipleship which the Lord was giving which was reserved only for advanced Bible students! This was an issue which cuts at the very roots of faith. "O ye of little faith (Matt 16 v 8)" said Our Lord Jesus Christ reproachfully. Failure to grasp the enormity of the dangers of the doctrine of the Pharisees would cut at the very nature of faith itself. Let us be aware today that salvation is alone through faith alone in Christ alone. For this truth many through this church age have won a martyrs’ crown.

But what of the morning? We rejoice that the night season will come to an end. However for the world of Christ rejectors the morning will be one of terrible "weather". "And in the morning it will be foul weather today for the sky is red and lowering". As they behold the return of our Lord Jesus Christ to the earth, in manifestation as He descends, John describes the scene in Revelation 1, "Behold He cometh with clouds and every eye shall see Him! (Rev 1 v 7)" For the Christ rejector it will indeed be "foul weather" as they watch the descent of the Sovereign. The storm of divine judgement shall be theirs eternally.

So what is the lesson for us in this the night of his rejection- during this church age? We too must not compromise on the principles of faith alone in Christ alone- being eroded now on every hand. Furthermore we must not be asleep in this night season but be alert and faithful. And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent. the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast of the works of darkness and let us put on the armour of light (Romans 13 v 11-12)."

(c) William McBride, Northern Ireland