Chapter

Luke 12:55

ESV And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens.
NIV And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is.
NASB And whenever you feel a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way.
CSB And when the south wind is blowing, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is.
NLT When the south wind blows, you say, ‘Today will be a scorcher.’ And it is.
KJV And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.
NKJV And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is.

What does Luke 12:55 mean?

Jesus continues His point that the people can predict the weather, but they seem incapable of recognizing the spiritual truths around them. First, He mentions the cloud over the Mediterranean Sea that promises rain (Luke 12:54). Now, He points out that a wind from the deserts in the south are a sure sign of a hot day. If the crowd (Luke 12:1) can predict the weather—without thermometers, barometers, or satellite images—why can't they see what is happening right in front of their faces? Often because they're so focused on their lives on earth (Luke 12:13–21).

Globally, God will delay His judgment (Luke 13:6–9). He wants to give people the opportunity to come to faith in Christ (2 Peter 3:9). That doesn't mean the people in the crowd have long. At a moment's notice, the Romans could execute them or a tower could crush them (Luke 13:1–5). They need to make peace—both with God and each other (Luke 12:57–59). They need to repent of their sins and be reconciled to God (Luke 13:6–9).

The Jews have seen far more signs than a cloud or a southerly wind. They are stewards of the Word of God and should recognize how Jesus fulfills the warnings of the prophets. If Jesus had performed the signs Jews have seen in pagan Gentile cities, those Gentiles "would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes" (Luke 10:13). Because the Jews refuse to see, they will be punished more harshly than Sodom, and Nineveh will have cause to declare them unrighteous (Luke 10:12; 11:32).
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