Luke 12:56 (KJV)

Passage

Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

Nearby Context

Luke 12:54 And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.

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

Luke 12:56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?

Luke 12:57 Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?

Luke 12:58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hypocrites", "discern", "face", "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 "Yea and why even of yourselves judge...", 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.