The hardest metal on earth is called Chromium. It is generally used as a plating material to endorse the strength of an object. It is sometimes used to plate stainless steel. Part of me feels like chromium is what the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' time plated their hearts with. From these verses you can see the hardness of their heart toward Jesus. Jesus up to this point has performed countless miracles that should leave them stunned and questioning who this man is. With anger in their hearts, they ask Jesus for another sign but instead of giving into their trap, He tells them the only other sign I will give you is that of my resurrection (that is what he is referring to when he mentions Jonah). Just like Jonah was in the stomach of a big fish three days, Jesus would be dead for three days and rise again. The reason Jesus tells them this is because He knows that no matter what He does, it will never be enough proof for this Jewish sect. He says you can look at the sky and determine the weather, but you can’t see the obvious signs that are given to you to see the spiritual weather at hand, that the time for salvation is near because the Messiah is standing right in front of them. He sees the depths of their hardness of hearts which is why He warns His disciples against the Pharisees and Sadducees. In verse 11 Jesus says “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Before the annual celebration of the Passover the Jews needed to remove all baked goods that contain yeast from their houses. That is because the yeast or (leaven) was a representation of defilement. So, Jesus is referring to the teachings of these religious people as a teaching that defiles and does not bring true holiness or righteousness to you. Jesus says stay away from that, those teachings merely give you the appearance of holiness, those traditions are just a facade for them to hide the true hardness of their heart. Their teachings only corrupt the heart, it does not generate true repentance. It is interesting that after rebuking the Pharisees we see the tenderheartedness Jesus has with His disciples. Jesus gathers them and asks them about their own faith. First he asks a general question to set the stage, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They answer with what they have heard, but then he personalizes the question, “But who do you say that I am?” Jesus, like the good shepherd He is, is shepherding those He cares for, to help them realize that the most important thing for them is to know who He is. Jesus wanted for the faith of His disciples to grow in a deep trust in what He was about to do, lay down His own life for His friends and be raised up on the third day. Jesus wanted His disciples to have a trust so deep in Him that they were willing to lose their lives for His sake, knowing that by doing so they will find eternal life. Jesus' question to His disciples was not only for them, it is for us. “But who do you say I am?” There is a book called Knowing Christ by Mark Jones in which he says of this question Jesus asks “The right answer to this question is simple enough to save a child, and at the same time complex enough to keep theologians busy for all eternity.” Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Do you believe this? Have you studied this? No matter how much we study this and hear sermons about this we will only be scratching the surface of the depths of the person and work of Christ. Scientists spend countless hours studying creation, divers spend time looking for underwater treasure, NASA spends time studying space, the stars, the moon, the planets and even they cannot wrap their heads around creation. That is just creation. What about the creator of all of this? The Word who became flesh. If we cannot fathom the wonders of creation how much more the person and work of Christ, the creator. I encourage you, seek out the unsearchable riches of Christ, that your soul may be sweetened at the depths and beauty of Jesus, the Son of the Living God.