Luke 11:16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
You’ll Get What You are Looking For
On the Bill Rice Ranch we have found many, many arrowheads and other artifacts from people who lived here long before we were here. I used to say that I had never gone arrowhead hunting, yet I have quite a collection of arrowheads from off the Ranch. I later realized that I am looking for arrowheads all the time. Now, it is true that I have never gone out specifically for the purpose of looking for arrowheads, but I have noticed that whenever I am hiking or riding a horse, I am constantly watching the ground. This is because, subconsciously, I am looking for arrowheads or other pieces of history.
Subconsciously, I am looking for arrowheads, and I find them because that is exactly what I am looking for. That is true in life as well. Most of us are looking for things we are not even aware of, and we are finding things that we don’t even know that we are searching for. Other times, we are totally cut out of the best things in life because we are not looking. You will get pretty much what you are looking for in life. You find that over and again as you look at the responses of people to the Lord Jesus.
For instance, think about confirmation. You are going to get what you are looking for when it comes to the Lord Jesus. Some people never have confirmed in their mind Who Jesus is and what He can do because they are tempting Him instead of acknowledging Him. It is a temptation not a confirmation.
Verse 16 says, “And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.” These people wanted Him to prove that what He was doing was from the power of Heaven, yet even when He did those things, they were not convinced. They were not looking for confirmation; they were looking for a reason not to submit to Him. If you are seeking confirmation with an open heart, you will find it.
Think about blessing. People can find blessing if they seek for it. In verse 28, Jesus responds to someone who said, “Blessed is your mother.” Earlier, Jesus’ mother and brothers couldn’t get to Him because of the crowds around Him. Those around Jesus told Him, “Your mother and brothers are standing without, and they want to see you.” On both occasions, Jesus had a similar response. When someone blessed Mary, He said, “Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.” When His family couldn’t get to Him, He said, “My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.”
Once again, we find that those who are seeking blessing from the Lord find it. There is a difference between being born and being born again. No one is born into a privileged relationship with the Lord Jesus. They are born again into that. It is a relationship that is given to those who come to God God’s way by faith in Jesus Christ. It is a relationship given to those who are seeking it in submission.
You will get pretty much what you are looking for, whether that is confirmation, blessing, or truth itself. In verse 54, the Pharisees were “laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.” Those who are looking for the truth will find it. Those who are simply looking for a reason to deny the truth will find that.
An earlier passage says that there were those who were waiting for Him, ready to gladly receive Him and His truth. Here, the Pharisees were waiting to entrap Him.
The Bible says, “The common people heard him gladly.” The Bible is talking about a social designation here, because nothing is more uncommon than someone who receives confirmation, blessing, and the truth because that is exactly what he is looking for.