54 And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. 55 And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. 56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? 57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. 59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite. (Luke 12:54-59 KJV)
Interpreting the Time and settling matters
Having given his disciples their lesson in the previous verses, Christ now turns to the people and gives them theirs (Luke 12:54). He said also to the people—he preached to the people as well as to the leaders. In general, he wanted them to be as wise in matters concerning their souls as they are in outward affairs. He highlights two things.
First, let them learn to discern God’s dealings with them so they can prepare accordingly. They were weatherwise and, by observing the winds and clouds, could foresee when there would be rain and when it would be hot (Luke 12:54-55). According to what they expected, they would either store their harvest or prepare for travel. Even in matters of weather, God gives signs of what’s coming, and people have improved their understanding through instruments like weather glasses. These forecasts came from repeated observations—learning from what had happened to predict what will happen. Experience is useful; by paying attention, we gain insight.
“When you see a cloud rising in the west” (the Hebrew would say, out of the sea), “perhaps it’s no bigger than a man’s hand at first (1 Kings 18:44), but you say, ‘There’s a shower in it,’ and it turns out to be true. When the south wind blows, you say, ‘There will be heat'” (for the hot lands of Africa lay just south of Judea), “and that usually happens.” Nature doesn’t always follow the same course, and sometimes our forecasts are wrong.
Jesus then rebukes them (Luke 12:56): “You hypocrites, who pretend to be wise and expect the Messiah and his kingdom, how is it that you do not discern this time? Why don’t you recognize, according to the Old Testament prophecies, that now is the time for the Messiah to appear, and that I am the one described? Why don’t you realize that you now have an opportunity to secure a place in the kingdom of God—a chance that won’t last forever and may never return?” Now is the accepted time—now or never. It’s human folly and misery not to recognize the time (Ecclesiastes 9:12). This was the ruin of their generation: they didn’t know the day of their visitation (Luke 19:44). A wise person understands the times, like the men of Issachar, who had understanding of the times (1 Chronicles 12:32).
He adds (Luke 12:57): “Why don’t you, even by your own judgment, decide what is right?” They were not only dull when it came to divine revelation, ignoring the spiritual signs, but also failed to act on what natural conscience and reason could teach them. Christianity is supported by both reason and natural conscience; if people judged rightly, they would see that Christ’s teachings are just and nothing is more reasonable than to follow them.
Second, let them hurry to make peace with God before it’s too late (Luke 12:58-59). This is also found in Matthew 5:25-26.
In everyday matters, we try to settle disputes when we know we are in the wrong and likely to lose. If you’re going with your adversary to court, and you know he has a case against you, it’s wise to settle before the judge rules against you. Make every effort to be freed from the adversary’s hold before judgment is passed and you are handed over for punishment. Sensible people don’t let their quarrels escalate—they try to resolve them early.
We should act the same way concerning our souls. Our sin has made God our adversary; we’ve provoked his anger, and he has both the right and the power to judge us. There’s no point trying to defend ourselves—we’ll lose. Christ, who has all judgment committed to him, is the judge before whom we must appear. If we go to trial with him, and try to justify ourselves, the outcome will be condemnation. The Judge will hand us over to the officers of justice, and we will be thrown into the prison of hell. The debt will be exacted in full. Though we can’t pay it completely, it will be demanded continually—“until the last penny is paid”—and that won’t happen for all eternity. Christ’s sufferings, though brief, were enough to satisfy God fully. But the sufferings of the damned, lacking value, must go on forever.
Considering this, we must earnestly seek to be delivered from God’s judgment as an enemy, and instead come into his hands as a loving Father. This must be done while we are “in the way”—that is, while we’re still alive. Now is the time to reconcile through repentance and faith in Christ, who is both our Judge and our Mediator. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, pleading with us to be reconciled. Let us take hold of his outstretched arm and make peace with him (Isaiah 27:4-5), because we cannot walk with him unless we are in agreement.