The Pharisees Come Seeking A Sign (8:11-13).
The stubbornness of the Pharisees is now contrasted with the willingness of the people in Decapolis to receive Him, and to recognise the sign that He gave them. But by all current thought the situation should have been the opposite. It should have been the common people who sought a sign while the Pharisees demonstrated their superior understanding by believing. However, it was not so. It reminds us that once we begin to think that we can judge how God will work we very often end up totally mistaken.
How poignant it is that the Pharisees who criticised some of Jesus' disciples for receiving bread with unwashed hands now find themselves with no spiritual bread because their hearts are defiled. All that they have is ‘the leaven (corrupted bread) of the Pharisees' (Mark 8:15). Thus they come seeking a sign. Meanwhile the people in Decapolis, whom certainly they would have seen as defiled, had received a sign and had also enjoyed abundance of such bread.
But we are not to see the Pharisees as ‘seekers'. Their purpose in asking for a sign is not in order that they might be convinced, it is in order to demonstrate to the people that He cannot give one. They are ‘testing' Him and hoping to expose Him, for their opposition is increasing. And Jesus' forthcoming warning to His disciples to beware of their leaven may well be an indication that they had been trying to get at the disciples.
It is in fact difficult to see what kind of a sign Jesus could have given which would have satisfied them. They knew of His healings and had witnessed them, and as a result had accused Him of being a blasphemer. They knew that He had cast out evil spirits, but had interpreted that as meaning that He was in league with the Devil. What other sign then could He have given them which would not have been interpreted in the same way? Any sign that He gave could therefore be twisted in order to confirm His association with the Great Deceiver. They were not speaking from a level playing field.
Analysis.
a And immediately He entered into the boat with His disciples and came to the parts of Dalmanutha (Mark 8:10).
b And the Pharisees came forth and began to question with Him, seeking of Him a sign from heaven, testing Him (Mark 8:11).
c And He sighed deeply in His spirit and says, “Why does this generation seek a sign?” (Mark 8:12 a).
b “Truly I say to you, there shall be no sign given to this generation” (Mark 8:12 b)
a And he left them and again entering into the boat departed to the other side (Mark 8:13).
Note that in ‘a' He enters the boat and comes to Dalmanutha, and in the parallel He leaves it again and enters a boat and departs to the other side. In ‘b' the Pharisees test Him, asking Him for a sign of Who He is, and in the parallel He says that no sign will be given to them. Centrally in ‘c' His sigh reveals how disappointed He is with that generation.