Luke 12:56 (ASV)

Passage

Ye hypocrites, ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and the heaven; but how is it that ye know not how to interpret this time?

Nearby Context

Luke 12:54 And he said to the multitudes also, When ye see a cloud rising in the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it cometh to pass.

Luke 12:55 And when [ye see] a south wind blowing, ye say, There will be a scorching heat; and it cometh to pass.

Luke 12:56 Ye hypocrites, ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and the heaven; but how is it that ye know not how to interpret this time?

Luke 12:57 And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

Luke 12:58 For as thou art going with thine adversary before the magistrate, on the way give diligence to be quit of him; lest haply he drag thee unto the judge, and the judge shall deliver thee to the officer, and the officer shall cast thee into prison.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hypocrites", "interpret", "face", "earth", "heaven", and "time". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hypocrites" and "interpret", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 55's "And when ye see a south wind..." into verse 57's "And why even of yourselves judge ye...", so "hypocrites" and "interpret" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "hypocrites" and "interpret" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.