Deep Sigh

“Ephphatha!” Jesus said. The people had brought to Him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged Jesus to place His hand on him. Jesus took him aside, away from the crowd, and put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spat and touched the man’s tongue. “Ephphatha!” He said, looking up to heaven with a deep sigh. “Be opened” (Mark 7:32-34).

“I asked Your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not,” said a man whose son was possessed. Jesus sighed deeply, “You unbelieving generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me” (Mark 7:17-19).

The sickness in the world must have been frustrating to Jesus, not in an overwhelming way, but frustrating because it did not have to be that way. God designed a world for mankind to flourish and have dominion, not suffer in pain and sickness. Then there was doubt, another reason for Jesus to sigh deeply. Despite the miracles He performed, there were those who did not believe. Sure, they enjoyed the spectacle; they wanted a piece of the healing or the feeding, but were they changed? Did they believe in the power of God?

We rarely think of God being frustrated. Nor do we think of Jesus becoming irritated, but at times, He sighed deeply. Maybe He was thinking of the effects of sin on the world. Or maybe, He sighed because of our unbelief. I wonder if we make God sigh deeply.

One of my favorite quotes reads, “Having a daughter is like having a broke best friend who thinks you are rich!” So very true. There is never a dull moment with a child, especially a daughter. A child's spirit is something to be admired. Children are innocent and trusting. They trust that their parents will not only provide for them but also give them everything that they want. In Matthew 18:3, Jesus said that we must have the faith of a child. Children do not sit around worrying about whether or not what they need will be provided; they just expect it. They rarely doubt what their parents say; they just believe. In fact, if your children constantly questioned whether you had things under control, you would likely get frustrated, maybe even let out a deep sigh.

Jesus was here on earth in the flesh, healing, liberating, and saving, constantly proving that He was the Son of God, yet people still doubted. His closest friends acted clueless at times. How frustrating. *Deep Sigh* The Holy Spirit is here in our lives, healing, liberating, and saving. He lives within us, and we still act clueless. How frustrating. *Deep Sigh*

The Pharisees wanted a sign, despite all of the miracles Jesus had performed. “The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test Him, they asked Him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it” (Mark 8:11-12). Instead of looking at what Jesus was doing, they questioned Him about what they thought He should be doing. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to follow their rules, and if He did not comply, they would not believe in Him.

We, like the Pharisees, look for a sign. Why did God not do this, or why did He not stop that tragedy from happening? We grumble and complain about what we think God should do while ignoring what He has already done. Is God a genie in a bottle? Should He respond to our every whim? Or is He the Supreme Creator, Master of the Universe? Is He Alpha and Omega, Almighty God with a sovereign plan? Jesus told the Pharisees they would get no sign because He was the sign! Jesus is the sign for their generation, our generation, and every generation to come.

A rich man died and went to Hell. He saw Abraham from afar and begged for water. When that did not work, he asked that Lazarus be sent as a messenger to his brothers to warn them, so they too would not end up in Hell.

“They have Moses and the Prophets,” Abraham replied.

“But it would be better if someone from the dead spoke to them,” the rich man pleaded. “Then they would listen.”

“If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets,” said Abraham, “they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead” (Luke 16:19-31).

What will it take for you to listen to God? For you to acknowledge His almighty power? For you to believe? Will it take someone performing miracles? The rich man begged for someone to come back from the dead to prove the power of God to his brothers so that they would believe. Will it take someone who has risen from the dead to convince you? Meet Jesus. He has done all that and more. He is the sign, and all you have to do is believe.