Christian Art | Sign Of The Times | King James Audio Bible | KJV
Luke 12: 54-59 – Week 29 Ordinary Time, Friday (King James Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word)
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.
The crowd listening to Jesus know how to ‘read’ nature in order to predict the weather. They are accustomed to this level of being and recognize the signs there. The crowds’ prescience stops at this level, however, the level of practical, everyday matters, and does not extend to a deeper contemplation and understanding of the spiritual reality with which Christ confronts them.
The Jewish people have the prophets to guide them in terms of understanding the signs of the times, specifically in relation to the coming of the Messiah. Through Jesus’ work, his healing and teaching, as through the circumstance of this present time, Jesus’ true identity as the Messiah, the Son of God, the new Moses, should be manifest, accessible to reason. The crowd’s refusal of this most obvious, logical conclusion is hypocrisy.
The crowds, the Jewish people of Christ’s time, could not be ignorant of God’s intentions for humanity, which is to say of what is right. In our own time, we have ready access to God in our hearts, and yet so many people seek to drive God from their hearts, wilfully resisting the good to embrace a delinquent atheism. Deliberate refusal of the signs of our time is endemic. There will be judgement.
Jesus asks the crowds of people to be reconciled. This may imply an acknowledgement of sin, a reconciliation with God, a discovery of the redeeming truth of Christ the Son of God.
Jesus may also be asking the Jewish people to be reconciled among themselves, and this relates to the apocalyptic aspect of Christ’s teaching. There were many tensions and conflicts between the radical groups of Jews: Zealots, Essenes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians. Christ calls them to peaceful dialogue. There is danger in their mutual conflicts, which, were they to become violent, would incur punishment by the Roman authority. The shadow of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 may loom over these sayings of Jesus.
Lord God, you hold out the light of your Word to those who do not know you.
Strengthen in our hearts the faith you have given us, so that no trials may quench the fire your Spirit has kindled within us.
Concluding Prayer | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
Holy Father and Lord,
you willed that Christ your Son,
should be the price of our salvation.
Give us grace so to live,
that through sharing his sufferings
we may be strengthened by the power of his resurrection,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
King James Audio Bible | Endnotes
Signs Of The Times | Eschatological Teaching In The Gospels
Luke 12: 54-59 speaks to the importance of recognizing signs of the times. In this passage, Jesus challenges his listeners to interpret the weather patterns and understand what they mean for the future. Jesus uses this as a metaphor for understanding the deeper spiritual truths that are happening around us.
At its core, these Gospel verses re about the importance of discernment, of recognizing the signs of the times and understanding what the signs mean for our lives and our world. Jesus is challenging his listeners to pay attention to the world around them, to interpret its movements and changes, and to use that knowledge to make wise decisions about their own lives.
One key theme of these Gospel verses is the idea of hypocrisy. Jesus accuses his listeners of being able to interpret the physical signs of the world, but not the spiritual signs that are all around them. This is a powerful critique of our tendency to focus on surface-level appearances rather than deeper spiritual realities. As theologian Albert Barnes wrote:
‘The Pharisees, as well as the people generally, were better acquainted with the signs of the weather than with the signs of the times. They were more attentive to the physical signs than to the moral and religious. And the same thing is still often true. Men will observe the changes in the sky, and will consult the almanac, but will not attend to the more solemn changes that are taking place in the world of thought and morals.’
These verses also have important implications for our understanding of justice and righteousness. Jesus tells a parable about a man who is in debt to his adversary and must go to the magistrate to settle the matter. The point of the parable is that we should be diligent in seeking justice and avoiding punishment, lest we find ourselves trapped in a situation we cannot escape. As theologian Matthew Henry wrote:
‘This is an admonition to all to agree with their enemies quickly, while in the way to the judge, and before they come into court. In all our differences with others, it is our wisdom to compound the matter as soon as may be.’
The verses have been interpreted in many different ways over the centuries, by both Catholic and Protestant theologians. Some have seen it as a call to political action, urging Christians to work for justice and righteousness in the world. Others have focused on the importance of spiritual discernment, reminding us that we must be attentive to the movements of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the world around us.
The message is one of urgency and attentiveness. We are called to pay attention to the signs of the times, to interpret them with wisdom and discernment, and to act in accordance with the will of God. As the theologian John Wesley wrote:
‘O that we may discern the signs of the times, and know what to do!… Let us observe the providence… of God in the world, and the operations of his grace in our own hearts, that we may know how to walk circumspectly and wisely, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.’
The Gospel is also a reminder that our actions have consequences, both in this life and in the next. As Jesus warns, we must be diligent in seeking justice and righteousness, lest we find ourselves trapped in a situation we cannot escape. Theologian Charles Spurgeon wrote:
‘Beloved, let us be wise, let us be prudent, let us take heed to the signs of the times, and let us be diligent in seeking justice and righteousness, that we may avoid the snares of the enemy, and escape the judgment that awaits the wicked.’
In many ways, this passage speaks directly to our current moment. We live in a world that is changing rapidly, and it can be difficult to discern the deeper spiritual realities that are at work. We are called to be attentive, to pay attention to the movements of the Holy Spirit, and to act in accordance with God’s will. Theologian Karl Barth wrote:
‘The present time is a critical time, a time of judgment and decision, a time of crisis and opportunity. It is a time for us to discern the signs of the times, to interpret the movements of the Holy Spirit, and to act with faith and courage.’
Signs In The Old Testament
There are many passages from the Old Testament that speak to the idea of discerning the signs of the times and acting with wisdom and discernment.
Proverbs 14:15-16 states:
‘The simple believes every word, But the prudent considers well his steps. A wise man fears and departs from evil, But a fool rages and is self-confident.’
Proverbs 14:15-16 speaks to the importance of discernment and careful consideration when it comes to our beliefs and actions. The first line states that the ‘simple believes every word’, highlighting the danger of blindly accepting what we hear without questioning it. Instead, the passage urges us to be ‘prudent’ and to consider our steps carefully. This requires a certain level of wisdom and discernment, as we need to be able to evaluate the truthfulness and reliability of what we hear.
The second line of the passage contrasts the behaviour of the wise and the foolish. The wise person ‘fears and departs from evil’, recognizing the potential consequences of their actions and choosing to avoid behaviours that could lead to negative outcomes. In contrast, the fool ‘rages and is self-confident’, acting impulsively without considering the potential outcomes of their actions.
The Bible reminds us that wisdom and discernment are essential for making good decisions in life. Blindly accepting what we hear without considering it can lead to negative outcomes, while careful consideration and discernment can help us avoid harmful behaviours and make better choices.
Also in the Old Testament, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 famously states:
‘To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.’
This passage highlights the cyclical nature of life and the importance of discerning the appropriate time and season for our actions.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 provides a powerful meditation on the cyclical nature of life and the importance of discerning the appropriate time for our actions. The passage lists a series of contrasting actions and emotions, emphasizing that there is a time and a season for everything under the sun.
The passage speaks to the importance of discernment and wisdom in recognizing the appropriate time for our actions. For example, there is a time to plant and a time to harvest, and if we plant at the wrong time, we may not get the desired outcome. Similarly, there is a time to speak and a time to be silent, and if we speak at the wrong time, we may create more harm than good.
The passage also emphasizes that there are positive and negative experiences in life, and that we must be prepared for both. We will experience times of joy and times of sorrow, times of gain and times of loss, times of peace and times of war. This can be a difficult truth to accept, but it is essential for developing wisdom and discernment in navigating the ups and downs of life.
Discernment In Modern Times | Pope Francis
Pope Francis has spoken on the importance of discernment and the signs of the times in his teachings and writings. In his 2013 Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis writes:
‘Discernment in the Lord guides us in our journey of faith, and enables us to recognize the paths that lead to God and to eternal life. Hence the need for a solid human and spiritual formation that can guarantee the necessary discernment. A person who is not convinced, enthusiastic, certain and in love, will convince nobody.’
Here, Pope Francis emphasizes the importance of discernment in guiding us on our journey of faith and recognizing the paths that lead to God. He notes that solid human and spiritual formation is essential for developing this discernment and emphasizes the importance of being convinced, enthusiastic, certain, and in love in order to share this discernment with others.
Pope Francis has also spoken about the importance of discerning ‘signs of the times’ in order to respond to the needs of the world. In a 2018 homily, he stated:
‘The signs of the times are important: they tell us where we should go. But to discern the signs of the times, we must open ourselves to the present reality, to what is happening today, in society and in the Church. We cannot understand the signs of the times if we remain prisoners of our own egoism or ideologies that prevent us from accepting the surprises that God has in store for us.’
Here, Pope Francis emphasizes the need to be open to the present reality and to the surprises that God has in store for us. He notes that our own egoism or ideologies can prevent us from discerning the signs of the times, highlighting the importance of being open, humble, and receptive to the movements of God in the world.
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