Luke 11: 29-32
When the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Live From the Trust
“Trust, but verify.” Ronald Reagan used the phrase during the Cold War when negotiating with the Soviet Union: take them at their word, but make sure their actions match it. It’s also a pretty solid philosophy for dealing with high school students. Trust when they tell you where they’re going. Verify where they actually went.
It makes sense when dealing with foreign governments and teenagers. It makes considerably less sense when Jesus has been healing the sick, driving out demons, and performing miracles right in front of you—and you still ask him for another sign.
In today’s Gospel, you can feel Jesus’ frustration. The Ninevites heard Jonah and repented. The Queen of the South traveled an enormous distance to hear Solomon. These outsiders recognized something of God and responded, while the people standing face-to-face with Jesus kept asking him to prove himself.
Trust is confidence based on what we have already experienced. Faith is choosing to live from that trust even when we cannot verify what comes next. Jesus has already shown us who he is. At some point, asking for one more sign is just an excuse for not responding.
—Jackie Schulte is the Head of School and Dean of Faculty Formation at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Draw us closer to you
and teach us to rest our faith in you.
Free us from our need for certainty,
and help us place what comes next into your hands.
Amen.
—Jackie Schulte