Luke 12:57Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

When He spoke about preaching, and called it a sword, His hearers may have been troubled, not knowing what He meant. And therefore our Lord adds, that as men determine the state of the weather by certain signs, so ought they to know His coming. And this is what he means by saying, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower. And when ye see the south wind blowing, ye say, There will be heat, &c. As if He says, Your words and works shew me to be opposed to you. Ye may therefore suppose that I came not to give peace, but the storm and whirlwind. For I am a cloud, and I come out of the west, that is, from human nature; which has been long since clothed with the thick darkness of sin. I came also to send fire, that is, to stir up heat. For I am the strong south wind, opposed to the northern coldness.

For the prophets have in many ways foretold the mystery of Christ; it became them therefore, if they were wise, to stretch their prospect beyond to the future, nor will ignorance of the time to come avail them after the present life. For there will be wind and rain, and a future punishment by fire; and this is signified when it is said, A shower cometh. It became them also not to be ignorant of the time of salvation, that is, the coming of the Saviour, through whom perfect piety entered into the world. And this is meant when it is said, Ye say that there will be heat. Whence it follows in censure of them, Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and the earth, but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

Now we must observe, that conjectures concerning the stars are necessary to the life of man, as long as we do lot push our searches into their signs beyond due limits. For it is possible to discover some things with respect to coming rain, still more concerning heat and the force of the winds, whether partial or universal, stormy or gentle. But the great advantage that is rendered to life by these conjectures is known to every one. For it is of importance to the sailor to prognosticate the dangers of storms, to the traveller the changes of the weather, to the husbandman the abundant supply of his fruits.

Do not evaluate what is just? He transitions to a new teaching and encourages the audience, using a well-known illustration, to be liberated from the adversary, meaning from his deeds, stating, “Why do you not understand on your own what is good, even when it is easily discernible?”

But had it not been implanted in our nature to judge what is right, our Lord would never have said this.

Or, they who from the change of the elements can easily when they like predetermine the state of the weather, might if they wished also understand the time of our Lord’s coming from the words of the Prophets.

Nevertheless, He did not allow the crowd to reflect idly on the importance of the current moment. Instead, He urged them to reconcile within themselves while they still have the opportunity (parable). The call to repentance is essential. We should not find solace in the notion that God's judgment has not yet come upon us.

Following this, Jesus Christ admonishes the crowd for their inability to perceive the signs of the times. He refers to their capacity to interpret the weather based on familiar indications. Matthew conveys a similar reprimand to the Pharisees and Sadducees who sought to challenge Him by asking for a heavenly sign. He responds with the question, "Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?" Some interpreters see these remarks as a fresh admonition directed at the people for their failure to recognize the prophetic signs. The phrase “of yourselves” is understood to suggest making judgments independently, without relying on the opinions of others, linking this inquiry to a call for self-assessment regarding what ought to be.

Christ understood the nature of those He interacted with, which is why He chose not to engage in an elaborate discussion, instead offering a brief response. During His earthly ministry, the tempter subtly tempted Him to demonstrate His divine abilities as a justification of His authority. Performing wonders at the behest of the prince of darkness would be irreverent, and similarly, yielding to the requests of those consumed by malevolent intentions would be equally profane. The significance of evidence hinges upon the willingness to believe; He had already indicated that casting pearls before swine merely invites harm upon oneself. No miracle could influence hearts devoid of sympathy.

"Do not judge based on your own understanding; rather, consider the time that is upon you and what is yet to come. You witness the remarkable wonders I perform and are captivated by my teachings, which bring you joy and amazement, drawing you closer to me. Indeed, the prophecies proclaimed by your prophets regarding the era of the Messiah are being realized in my presence: how can you disregard the evident signs indicating that the arrival of the Messiah and the establishment of his kingdom are at hand, and that he is indeed among you? You trust meteorologists based on their signs, yet you fail to believe your prophets who have foretold the signs of the Messiah's coming; you neither grasp these signs nor desire to understand them."

When Christ the Savior landed, the Pharisees and Sadducees approached Him. Though they were at odds in their beliefs, they were united in their animosity toward the Divine Teacher. They began to dispute with Him, seeking to entrap Him by asking for a sign from heaven. This was a repetition of a previous plea, to which the Lord had responded at length (Matthew 12:38-42). Familiar with Scripture, they knew that ancient prophets had performed miraculous deeds, such as Moses providing manna from heaven (Ex. 16:4), Joshua commanding the sun to stand still (Hab. 10:12-14), Elijah calling down fire from heaven (4 Kings 1:10, 12), and Isaiah reversing the sun's shadow (Is. 38:8).