What Does It Take To Believe?

Read Matthew 12:33-41

Context: Jesus has just healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. Everyone was astonished, but the Pharisees said that Jesus must be healing by the power of Beelzebub. Jesus talks about kingdoms divided against themselves not being able to stand.

Text:

33"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
38Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you."
39He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one[a] greater than Jonah is here. (NIV)

Footnotes:

a. Matthew 12:41 Or something; also in verse 42

taken from www.biblegateway.com

The second set of verses Steve gave us is Mt 12:38-40.

Why are we so suspicious? Over the centuries I guess we've had enough reason to disbelieve anything that is counter to what we have been taught, and there have been enough sheisters to make all of us check out the facts. Even when faced with God in the flesh the Pharisees wanted to see signs greater than healings and exorcisms.

Yet even when the sign of Jonah was given they still didn't believe. Was there anything that would have changed their minds?