The Pharisees and scribes, not satisfied with Jesus’ miracles, wanted a sign of a different order, which met their standards, something undeniable that they would label a sign from heaven. They expressed not faith but unbelief, hoping maybe even to discredit him if he did not comply. Their request was not a humble search for confirmation but a challenge to his authority. The Jews often asked Jesus for a sign, one that they considered worthwhile, that met their demands (see Matthew 16:1, Matthew 21:23; John 2:18; 1 Corinthians 1:22). Jesus refuses to give such signs because they were asked in unbelief. Asking for a sign was thus a temptation for Jesus, but he cannot give them to unbelievers (see Matthew 24:30). He fulfills Scripture in both word and deed, and whoever does not see that is an unbeliever, so another special sign is redundant.
The Pharisees and scribes were not satisfied with the many miraculous works of power Jesus had already performed. They wanted a sign of a different order—one that met their own standards, something spectacular and undeniable that they could classify as a true sign from heaven. In asking this, they were not expressing faith but unbelief, hoping perhaps even to discredit him if he refused to comply. Their request should therefore not be understood as a humble search for confirmation but a challenge that tested his authority.
The Jews asked Jesus more than once for a sign, and it had to be a sign that they considered worthwhile—one that met their demands (see Matthew 16:1, Matthew 21:23; John 2:18; 1 Corinthians 1:22). Jesus, however, refuses to give such signs precisely because they were asked in unbelief, sometimes perhaps—as in this passage—even in the hope that the refusal would turn people away from him. Asking for a sign was therefore a kind of temptation for Jesus, but he cannot give them to unbelievers (see Matthew 24:30). He fulfills the Scriptures in both word and deed, and whoever does not see that is by definition an unbeliever. Another special sign is therefore redundant.1
38 Alors quelques-uns des scribes et des pharisiens prirent la parole, et dirent: Maître, nous voudrions te voir faire un miracle.