Mark 8:10-12

¹⁰ immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

¹¹ Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.

¹² But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”

Also found in Matthew 15:39 and Matthew 16:1-4.

Dalmanutha (v.10) — The location of this town is unknown, although it is likely on the western side of Galilee in the region of Decapolis.

came out (v.11) — They pursued Jesus into a region that was heavily populated by Gentiles.

began to dispute (v.11) — Tense indicates continuous action. They began and kept it up. They weren’t looking for a solution, they were hoping to find a way to disprove Jesus’ claims.

dispute (v.11) = lit. “examine together, discuss, dispute.” Seems to indicate that Jesus responded and defended Himself, that He took part in the dispute.

sign (v.11) = miracle. They were wanting to see the Lord’s credentials, since a miracle would prove He spoke for God.

testing (v.11) = put to the test to see what good or evil is in a thing or person. They were testing to see if Jesus was the Messiah or an imposter.

It is useless to give evidence to unbelief (v.11). Had He given the most overwhelming proofs of His Messiahship they would not have believed upon Him. — Williams, page 736.

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[The Pharisees and Sadducees] held that thunder and lightning revealed God more certainly than supernatural victories of compassion, tenderness and love. What could be done for moral blindness such as this? How could any sign be devised which unwilling hearts would not evade? No wonder that hearing this demand, Jesus signed deeply in His spirit. — Chadwick, page 210.

sighed (v.12) = groaned

Jesus knew that there was no way to pass their test, because even if He had showed them some miracle from heaven, they would have found a reason to reject it.