"An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah. And He left them and went away."
Gospel of Matthew
Someone who is suffering serious doubt in respect to faith may say to you: "If Jesus is who you say He is, then tell Him to give me a sign. Get Him to do something to prove to me that He is who you say He is."
Jesus' response to this would probably be the same as that given in the Gospel of Matthew: "No sign will be given to you except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so too will the Son of Man will be, to this generation."
Confused, the doubter may ask: "How was Jonah a sign to the people of Nineveh?" The answer: "Jonah came from a distant place in Palestine and travelled to a city in Assyria, a pagan city, which did not believe in God. He preached to the people that they must repent or change. They listened to Jonah. They repented and changed the direction in which they were going. As the people of Nineveh listened to Jonah, believed and changed, so we too must listen to Jesus' word, believe and change. We pray: Show me Lord, and I will believe and change. God says: Believe and Change and I will show you.
The doubter continues: "But my problem is that I don't believe, or at least, I have serious doubt as to whether your Jesus is who you say that He is?" The answer: "Then don't ask for a sign as if that would prove anything to you. Miracles are all around you, but you do not yet have the eyes to see them. Ask instead for the gift of faith. Ask sincerely from your heart that you may see the light and the truth of the Gospel."
If we believe something because firm evidence has been given that it is true, then we do not believe by faith. We believe based on the evidence that has been provided. But evidence cannot be provided when it comes to the qualities of the heart.
If your spouse or friend say that they love you, then you must believe it by faith. Firm evidence that they love you cannot be provided. You must look into your own heart, examine what you are experiencing, get in touch with your inner most self, and then conclude that their love is real. And you may have to do it again and again. If by faith you conclude that it is true, then that love will transform your life. It can be the light that shines in the darkness for you.
But if you say to the one who loves you, prove it, then you are really rejecting their love. You are really saying: I cannot accept your love until you give me the proof that it is true.
Whenever we place this need of proof on God by demanding a sign, we are rejecting God's love for us. We are by-passing faith and demanding assurance. The problem is not with God who continues to love us. The problem is with ourselves because we cannot respond without proof.
The people of Nineveh listened to Jonah, believed by faith, and responded with changed hearts. Some of the people of Jesus' day did not listen or believe Him and therefore asked for some sign. They failed to see the Kingdom of God that Jesus was proclaiming to them.
What the doubter needs, and what we need when we seriously doubt, is not evidence or proof from God. What we need is the humility to know where the problem lies. And like the man with leprosy, we need the courage to ask: Father, if it be your will, can you heal me of my affliction. If we do that, then the light of the Gospel will open up in our hearts and we will hear Jesus' words: "Take courage my friend, do not be afraid. I am very near to you."
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