THE SCRIPTURE
The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. {12} He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it.” {13} Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. (Mark 8:11-13 NIV)
THE COMMENT
from Abba Felix, one of the desert fathers
Some brothers . . . went to see Abba Felix and they begged him to say a word to them. But the old man kept silence. After they had asked him for a long time he said to them, “You wish to hear a word?” They said, “Yes, abba.” Then the old man said to them, “There are no more words nowadays. When the brothers used to consult the old men and when they did what was said to them, God showed them how to speak. But now, since they ask without doing that which they hear, God has withdrawn the grace of the word from the old men and they do not find anything to say, since there are no longer any who carry their words out.” Hearing this, the brothers groaned, saying, “Pray for us, abba.” [Benedicta Ward, The Desert Christian, p. 242]
TLT
Hillside Laughter 
Ouch! Good one. By that criteria we wouldn’t have many sermons, would we? Wonder if that had anything to do with sermons going out of style from the middle ages and in some places to the 17th century? But then, it didn’t keep Jesus from teaching, did it?