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)
William Burkitt’s Commentary
Our Saviour in these words does at once upbraid the stupid ignorance of the Jews in general, and the obstinate infidelity of the Pharisees in particular, in that they could make a judgment of the weather by the sight of the sky, by the appearance of the heavens, and the motion of the winds, but could not discern this time of the Messiah, though they had so many miraculous signs and evidences of it; and for this, he upbraids them with hypocrisy: Ye hypocrites! Ye can discern the face of the sky, but you do not discern this time.
Learn thence, that to pretend either more ignorance or greater uncertainty in discerning the signs of gospel times (the time of our gracious visitation) than the signs of the weather, is great hypocrisy: Ye hypocrites! Can ye not discern this time?
Observe farther, that Christ does not here condemn the study of nature, or making observations of the state of the weather by the face of the sky; for Almighty God, by natural signs, gives us warning of a change in natural things; and in like manner, by his providential dispensations. He gives us warning of a change in civil things: He that is wise will observe both, and by their observation will come to understand the pleasure of the Lord.
BURKITT | Luke 12:1-3 | Luke 12:4-5 | Luke 12:6-7 | Luke 12:8-9 | Luke 12:10 | Luke 12:11-12 | Luke 12:13-14 | Luke 12:15 | Luke 12:16-21 | Luke 12:22-30 | Luke 12:31 | Luke 12:32 | Luke 12:33-34 | Luke 12:35-36 | Luke 12:37-40 | Luke 12:41-44 | Luke 12:45-48 | Luke 12:49-53 | Luke 12:54-59 |