Matt 16 – What were the Pharisees and Sadducees saying about Messiah in the previous chapter?

Mat 16:1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Him asked Him to show them a sign from heaven.

When the Pharisees heard that Yeshua was casting out demons, the claimed He was doing this by the power of Beelzebub. Now the Pharisees want a sign "from heaven." They wrongly reasoned that some miracles here on earth could come from Beelzebub. They thought that if they saw a sign from heaven, then they could determine if Yeshua is really a prophet from Elohim or not. Yeshua showed signs before, why would He not show a sign for the Pharisees? Yeshua did not want them to heed His warnings. He already said they were not to understand His message and that is why He spoke in parables. (Matt. 13:9-15).