He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time? Luke 12:54-56
Jesus uses something the crowds are familiar with – weather watching – to lead them to His next point. We know how the world works because we live here and we’re used to the things we encounter. The weather was of vital importance to people then for their crops and their safety. Jesus tells us that we need a deeper understanding of heavenly matters to be fruitful in our discipleship and to be ready when He returns.
We learn about weather by paying attention, listening to others and learning how it works. Jesus teaches us what we need to know about eternal things, but we don’t seem to give the same attention to the coming of the kingdom as we do the weather! We become so concerned about the things here that we don’t notice what God is saying to us every day.
Prayer, scripture and fellowship with our brothers and sisters are the tools we need to “interpret the present time” as Jesus says. Much like the weather, we can’t accurately predict when He will return, but He gave us His promise that it would happen. We will not know the exact time, but we can use the gifts God has given us to prepare for His coming!
Gracious God, we are thankful that You call us to be part of the work of Your kingdom. Help us to be faithful workers, aware of the tasks You have for us, ready to welcome Jesus at His coming. Amen.