Luke 12:56

Luke 12:56, in plain English

Jesus calls them hypocrites: 'You know how to read the weather, so why can't you read what's happening right now?' They have the skill -- they just won't use it where it matters most.

Why it's here

The word Jesus uses for 'time' here isn't ordinary time -- it's a kairos moment, a once-in-history opportunity. And they're letting it slip through their fingers.

Who's speaking

Jesus confronts the crowd with their willful blindness to the most significant moment in history.

Where it sits in the story

This is Jesus' frustration showing. The signs are everywhere. The kingdom is here. And the people who should see it most clearly are the ones looking the other way.

The scholarly reading

Jesus calls them hypokritai (hypocrites) who can analyze (dokimazein) earth (gēs) and sky (ouranou) but cannot discern (dokimazein -- same verb) the present kairos (decisive time/season). The identical verb shows the skill exists but is selectively applied.

Language and setting

Kairos here means the decisive, God-appointed moment, not merely chronological time (chronos). The present kairos is Jesus' ministry -- the kingdom of God breaking into history. Missing this moment is inexcusable.

Voice

Jesus directly accuses the crowd of hypocrisy for their selective use of discernment.

Significance

Jesus names the problem: hypocrisy. They have the ability to discern but refuse to apply it to the most important reality of all. The kairos moment is now, and they're missing it.

54Then Jesus said to the crowds, “As soon as you see a cloud rising in the west, you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and that is what happens.

55And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It will be hot,’ and it is.

56You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you know how to interpret the present time?

57And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

58Make every effort to reconcile with your adversary while you are on your way to the magistrate. Otherwise, he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and the officer may throw you into prison.

Read all of Luke 12 — Sparrows, barns, and a thief in the night — Jesus teaches his followers to stop hoarding and start trusting. Worry is the opposite of faith.