Luke 12:56 (GNV)

Passage

Hypocrites, ye can discerne the face of the earth, and of the skie: but why discerne ye not this time?

Nearby Context

Luke 12:54 Then said he to the people, When ye see a cloude rise out of the West, straightway ye say, A shower commeth: and so it is.

Luke 12:55 And when ye see the South winde blowe, ye say, that it wilbe hoate: and it commeth to passe.

Luke 12:56 Hypocrites, ye can discerne the face of the earth, and of the skie: but why discerne ye not this time?

Luke 12:57 Yea, and why iudge ye not of your selues what is right?

Luke 12:58 While thou goest with thine aduersarie to the ruler, as thou art in the way, giue diligence in the way, that thou mayest be deliuered from him, least he drawe thee to the iudge, and the iudge deliuer thee to the iayler, and the iayler cast thee into prison.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hypocrites", "discerne", "face", "earth", "skie", and "time". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hypocrites" and "discerne", 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 winde..." into verse 57's "Yea and why iudge ye not of...", so "hypocrites" and "discerne" 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 "discerne" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.