(Sigh.)

"And (Jesus) sighed deeply in his spirit..."

(Mark 8:12)

Those darn Pharisees!  Those religious leaders!  They have "issues" with Jesus and constantly plague him throughout the Gospels.  Much of the time their interactions with Jesus are attempts to test, trick or trap him.  Deep down they're not genuinely interested in knowledge, wisdom, or spiritual insight.

Such is the case in Mark 8.  They come and start arguing with Jesus straight away.  They ask him "for a sign form heaven, to test him."  Jesus, who has all the patience int he world (at least when there's a legitimate inquiry), is not going to play their games.  Mark tells u that he "sighed deeply in his spirit."

Wow.  Subtle.  Powerful.  Telling.

I wonder how often that happens with me and Jesus?  How many times, throughout the course of my lifetime, has Jesus watched me do something (or say something or think something) and then just sighed deeply in his spirit?  "Will Jim ever learn?  Why does he keep doing that?  If only he knew..."  How often do I (knowingly or unknowingly) seek to test, trick or trap God?  (Sigh.)

And yet, I know that God loves me nonetheless.  God wants the best for me - and seeks to guide me along those lines... but His love remains steadfast (despite his sighs!).  And that's GOOD NEWS!