Luke
12:54-56
King
James Version (KJV)
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.
55And
when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to
pass.
56Ye
hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it
that ye do not discern this time?
Jesus warns of Not Discerning the Times
Jesus is
warning the people that they knew how to interpret weather signs but were
ignorant of the signs
of the times, that
is, the fulfillment of the kingdom in the Person of Jesus.
Reflection: How good are we at reading signs?
Jesus expected his disciples to read the signs of
the times accurately! While up-to-the-minute technology gives us greater
accuracy for pinpointing troublesome tempests and quakes, our ability for
discerning spiritual trouble and averting spiritual disaster seems to be in
need of desperate repair or at least improvement.
The people of Jesus' time expected that the coming of the
Messiah would be accompanied by extraordinary signs and wonders. False messiahs
had made great claims to attract followers, such as cleaving the Jordan River
in two or causing the walls of Jerusalem to fall. Jesus knew the hearts of
those who came to test him. They were more interested in signs and supernatural
phenomena than they were in the word of God. Simeon had prophesied at Jesus'
birth that he was "destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be opposed so that inner thoughts of many will be
revealed" (Luke 2:34-35). Jesus
gave them no sign except himself and the ultimate proof of his
divinity when he rose from the dead.
The Lord reveals himself to us in many
ways -- in his word and in the "breaking of the bread" in the Lord's Supper
-- the body of Christ, in his creation, and even in the everyday circumstances
of our lives. If we seek the Lord, we can be confident that he will give us
everything we need to do his will. Most of all the Lord assures us of his
presence and the promise that he will never leave us. Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten
you; all things pass: God never changes.
Patience achieves all it strives for.
Whoever has God lacks nothing, God alone suffices. Is God enough for
you?
In
Christ,
Playwright Janet
Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories
Theatre of
Fine &
Performing Arts
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