“Why does this generation seek a sign?” With a profound sigh, Jesus got into the boat and went away to the other side of the lake. Even though Jesus was constantly in conflict with the religious leaders, their demand for a sign seems to have hurt him to the core. What made the hurt more painful is the fact that the demand came on the backdrop of a sign Jesus had just performed (the miracle of the loaves). Moreover, the reason for the request (he wanted to test Jesus) was a clear indication that they had doubts on the Messiahship of Jesus, and by doing so, they had effectively rejected Jesus as well as God whose work Jesus was doing. 
We can today point our fingers at the Pharisees and criticize them for their failure to recognize the many signs Jesus had worked as we ask ourselves: “What else did they want Jesus to do? What other sign did they want Jesus to perform? Wasn’t Jesus’ healing of the sick enough sign that God was in their midst in the person of Jesus? Wasn’t feeding the hungry and setting free those who were bound by the evil spirit an indication that Jesus was doing the work of God? What other sign would point to God visiting his people more than Jesus involving himself in the lives of the people?” Jesus was within his rights to feel hurt. But even as we join Jesus in getting angry at the Pharisees and their demand for more signs, let us not forget that we too are guilty of the same offense. For we too have asked God for signs. 
Like the Pharisees, we too have requested for more signs whenever we give God conditions: when we ground our continued trust in God on a successful completion of an endeavor we are undertaking; when we ask God to reassure us of God’s presence in our lives by healing us or getting us out of an impossible situation. We do this, not because we enjoy doing it, but rather because we spend our lives trying to fit God into our idea of God (we try to create God into our own image). The greatest sign that God can give us has already been given us: Immanuel – God with us. We only have to open our eyes and hearts to him and all our questions will be answered.