Luke 12: “Can you not interpret the spiritual signs of the time? Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?”
Jesus was speaking to a large crowd when He rebuked them for not perceiving the seasons and times in which they lived.
“When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say, ‘A rainstorm is coming,’ and it does. When the wind comes in from the south you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and you are right. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky! Can you not interpret the spiritual signs of the time? Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?” (vs 54-57)
What a timely rebuke for us!
If a storm is brewing, we sense it! We prepare for it! Therefore, if we are unaware, unconcerned, or ignorant of the spiritual climate, it is imperative that we hear His words: “Can you not interpret the spiritual signs of the time?” In wisdom, by His power, we can look, think, and interpret was is good and right! If we choose to see with godly eyes, we can judge with a righteous judgment. Yet, to judge rightly we must be informed without being influenced by the inflammatory rhetoric of the biased messengers – including fact checkers, news media, cancel culture, podcast gurus, or even political affiliations.
We live in shaky times that cry out for God’s people to be wise and righteous examples to the world. In Kenya, I tell my children, “We belong to one tribe (Christianity) and one leader (Jesus). Demeaning and hateful speech is not His nature.” We must stop participating in the divisive spirit of the day and begin to act as wise followers of Christ.