Gene’s Daily Scriptural Postings

Observing the Signs: Luke 12:35-59

Focus Passage: Luke 12:35-59 (NCV)

While teaching His followers and the crowd at large, Jesus turns the spotlight onto where the people living that day were placing their focus – and what Jesus shares is very relevant for us living today.

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus tells those in His audience, “When you see clouds coming up in the west, you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it happens. When you feel the wind begin to blow from the south, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it happens. Hypocrites! You know how to understand the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you understand what is happening now?” (v. 54-56)

These short few verses point our attention to how it is very easy to create a rut in our lives that make us experts in certain areas, but completely ignorant in others. As technology advances and the scientific community collectively learns more, it is true that no one can know everything about everything, and because of this, we all must specialize and focus on certain areas.

In this passage, Jesus does not say that we must strive to know as much as we possibly can. Instead, in this passage, Jesus challenges those present that they had become excellent observers of weather patterns, but had failed to focus equivalent energy on observing the patterns of world events as they relate to God’s moving within the world. This was most directed at those whose job description was to pay attention to what God was doing in the world and draw people’s attention to it. Jesus’ challenge includes not only the religious and spiritual leaders living in the first century, but also religious and spiritual leaders living at any point in history.

The challenge Jesus shares is that everyone who calls themselves a follower of God should devote some energy to spending time with Him and also be actively looking for how He is moving in the world around them. God is far from absent in the world today, but it is up to us to open our eyes to the subtle ways He is moving – because only when we pay attention to the signs do we have ample evidence that He is still in control.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

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