Please read the passage before reading the homily
Why not ask for a sign? Why refuse a sign? It depends, depends on the persons involved. In the Gospels, the Pharisees were usually classed as opponents of Jesus and they usually came with an agenda, much the way our political parties come at each other today.
Other prophets had arisen among the people around the time of Jesus. One claimed he would dry up the Jordan River as had happened in the time of Joshua. When it did not happen, he was shown to be false.
So I can picture this scenario. The opponents were saying, “Hey Jesus, how about showing us some sign from heaven, you know, like maybe drying up the River Jordan or some other spectacular thing? Then we would know you come from God or, perhaps, not from God.”
Jesus, on the other hand, would have replied, “No. This not the time for signs. I am not playing the sign-game with you.” If Jesus had given a sign, he would have been forced into the game plan of his opponents and he would have lost. He did not give a sign because he had more important business, namely, his assignment from God.
We are allowed to ask God for signs. If we believe in God, it is normal for us to ask for signs. If we do not believe, we cannot ask sincerely. Jesus did not want to play the game his opponents had in mind; he preferred to be about God’s game, which was about work, not play. When we ask, we must be looking for God’s plan, not our own plans. The reason for asking for a sign is to know more about God’s plans for us, not to twist God into doing our plan. We cannot play games with God.