Luke 12:56 (DRB)

Passage

You hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the heaven and of the earth: but how is it that you do not discern this time?

Nearby Context

Luke 12:54 And he said also to the multitudes: When you see a cloud rising from the west, presently you say: A shower is coming. And so it happeneth.

Luke 12:55 And when ye see the south wind blow, you say: There will heat. And it cometh to pass.

Luke 12:56 You hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the heaven and of the earth: but how is it that you do not discern this time?

Luke 12:57 And why, even of yourselves, do you not judge that which is just?

Luke 12:58 And when thou goest with thy adversary to the prince, whilst thou art in the way, endeavour to be delivered from him: lest perhaps he draw thee to he judge, and the judge deliver thee to the exacter, and the exacter cast thee into prison.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hypocrites", "discern", "face", "heaven", "earth", and "time". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hypocrites" and "discern", 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 the south wind..." into verse 57's "And why even of yourselves do you...", so "hypocrites" and "discern" 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 "discern" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.