Mark 8: 11 - 13
11 The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, to test him.
12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."
13 And he left them, and getting into the boat again he departed to the other side.
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I'd always had a bit of a problem fully understanding this passage, because at the time of this dialogue Christ had performed many signs, and two of them (the feedings of 4,000 and 5,000) were on a very grand and public scale.
I asked Fr. Fleming about it after mass this morning. Note in v11 that the Pharisees are seeking a sign from heaven, to test him. We know from passages in other gospels that the Pharisees (with some exceptions) considered Christ a blasphemer, and considered the miracles he performed to be either outright lies, or the work of the devil. They were asking for something that for them would clearly and without question be from heaven.
The fact is that they weren't capable of seeing the signs from heaven. I can't think of any type of sign he could have given them that would have convinced them. They had made their decision, and their hearts were hardened.
