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May 05, 2026 06:00am

Walking Through Luke: Looking for a Sign

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Signs are important. They provide the information we need to make decisions. Speed limit signs and stop signs tell drivers how to behave in traffic. Restaurant and store signs show us what options are available when we’re looking for somewhere to go. Gas station signs tell us how much we’ll be paying for a gallon of gas. Street signs tell us where we are so we don’t go the wrong direction.

Without signs, we would wander around aimlessly. They keep us on track.

During a season of life when I was searching for a job, I drove for UberEats to supplement my income. One morning, I picked up a delivery from Lowe’s. It obviously was not food, but rather some parts that this person presumably needed for a project in their house. I loaded up the parts in my car and set out. Lowe’s is on the north end of my city. The address I was delivering to was several miles south of town. It was a pretty good drive—probably close to 20 minutes.

I pulled off the interstate and onto a back road. The GPS on UberEats guided me to an address that had no house. I drove in circles for almost 10 minutes. I sent the buyer a message and never got a response. The street signs seemed to indicate that I was in the right place, but there was no mailbox with a house number and no house with the right number on its porch or garage. Finally, I had to give up, return the items to the store, and move on with my day, knowing I had just wasted almost an hour looking for a house that, as far as I could tell, might not have existed. Had this person marked their property with a sign, the confusion would have been prevented, and they would have received their goods on time.

As Christians, we also look for signs. We want a sign that it’s God’s will for us to go to this college or get that job. We want a sign that we’re dating the right person. We want a sign that we’re at the right church. If we feel God calling us to ministry, we want a sign that it’s His will and not our own choice. In Judges, Gideon asked God for a sign—several times, in fact. He “fleeced” God, putting out a strip of sheep’s wool and asking God to make it dry while the grass was dewy, and then the next day to make the wool dewy while the grass was dry.

But do we need supernatural signs from God to make decisions? Should we sit and wait until there’s undeniable proof before we make a move?

In Luke 11:14–36, Jesus had been casting out demons. You would think this would be the one thing He could do that would be universally praised, but people are funny. Even doing something unquestionably good led to criticism. Some of His critics accused Him of casting out demons in the name of Beelzebul.

Who is Beelzebul? This was a modified form of “Baal-zebul,” which means “Baal, the prince.” The name Baal was common in the Old Testament. We often think of Baal as a singular false entity. However, it was not the name of one god. Rather, it was a title—one that became associated with several different gods, most commonly chief gods of the Canaanite people groups. The Jewish people had taken this name and modified it to Beelzebul—and sometimes, mockingly, to “Beelzebub” (the Lord of Flies). They had, in some way, adopted Baal into their own understanding as a prince of demons.

By stating that Jesus cast out demons in the name of Beelzebul, they were saying He was using pagan arts. They believed He was using the power of a demon to cast out other, lesser demons. In doing so, they thought He was deceiving His listeners into believing His power and His message came from God. Others were not as convinced that Jesus got His power from demons, but they still wanted more proof—a sign from heaven—that Jesus was who He appeared to be.

Of course, Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking. He responded that it would be impossible for the power of demons to cast out demons, because that would mean Satan was working against himself. Jesus made a comment about “a kingdom divided,” which may have been a jab at the earlier division of the Jewish people into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Either way, He outright refuted the possibility that His power came from anything evil.

Then He contrasted His work with the exorcisms performed by some Jewish exorcists. It seems that when some of them cast out demons, the work was incomplete. When Jesus delivered someone from demons, He filled them with His own Spirit, giving them life. But the Jewish exorcists had no ability to do this. And so, if they cast out a demon but did not point the healed person to faith in God, then the demon could return—possibly even with more of its kind. Then the person would be worse off than when they started.

As He spoke, a woman in the crowd said His mother was blessed for carrying Him. His response did not deny this but carried an implication: “Yes, she is, but even more blessed is the person who keeps the Word of God.”

Then He continued, warning about the dangers of seeking a sign. He didn’t want them to follow Him because of signs; He wanted them to follow because of faith. The only sign He was going to give them was “the sign of Jonah.” This was a foretelling of the resurrection, when He would spend three days in the earth and rise again. He spoke a harsh warning: if the wicked people in Nineveh repented because of the preaching of a lesser prophet, and the Queen of the South recognized God through the lesser glory of Solomon, then the Jewish people would be judged for not recognizing God and repenting when they had the greatest Prophet and the very glory of God in the form of Jesus Himself.

He was a light to them. They could not see the light, but it was not because it was hidden. In other words, they didn’t need a sign because His identity was obvious. The problem was their perception. If they could not see Him for who He was, they were in danger of casting their whole being into darkness.

So, how does this apply to us? Does this mean that we should never ask God for clarity because He’s tapping His toe and saying, “It should be obvious what I want you to do”? No. But it does mean we need to be discerning. We need to recognize what is from God and what is not. We need to be on the lookout for the spiritual reality of Jesus around us. And I’m not talking about college, careers, or significant others. I’m talking about recognizing God Himself.

There are all kinds of teachings around the world today that try to pull people in one direction or another using the name of Jesus. They use Him to prop up their agenda and push for something He never stood for. They even use the Bible—out of context—to justify their stance. They point to seemingly miraculous occurrences as signs that God is on their side and that you should be too.

Jesus is more than a light. He is the Light. And the thing about a bright light is that you can’t hide it—it shines through. Have you ever put your finger in front of your phone’s flashlight? What happens? The light shines through, right? In fact, it makes your fingernail look like it’s glowing. If I forgot to turn my flashlight off and put my phone in my pocket, it would shine through the material of my pants. On the other hand, if I cracked a glow stick and stuck it in my pocket, it’s unlikely it would be visible. Glow sticks are flashy and fun, but they don’t provide a genuine light source.

Similarly, people may try to impress us with flashy displays and false spiritual “lights.” That’s why we have to be discerning. We have to know the difference between what is flashy and what is the true Light.

The good news is that He has given us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us discern what is truly from God and what is deceptive. But we must do our part. That means analyzing everything through the lens of Jesus. How does it compare to what He said and did? If it lines up, great. If not—even if there’s a measure of doubt or uneasiness—take a closer look.

The Light is obvious. Those who are unable to see it clearly don’t need a better sign—they need to check their perception. There are certain things we never need to doubt—things we know Jesus wants us to do: help others, spread the Gospel, and fellowship with other believers. But the world is full of messages, and many of them masquerade as light. Let’s not be fooled by them.