Luke 12:57 (WEB)

Passage

Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

Nearby Context

Luke 12:55 When a south wind blows, you say, ‘There will be a scorching heat,’ and it happens.

Luke 12:56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it that you don’t interpret this time?

Luke 12:57 Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?

Luke 12:58 For when you are going with your adversary before the magistrate, try diligently on the way to be released from him, lest perhaps he drag you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

Luke 12:59 I tell you, you will by no means get out of there, until you have paid the very last penny.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "judge", "yourselves", and "right". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "judge" and "yourselves", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 56's "You hypocrites You know how to interpret..." into verse 58's "For when you are going with your...", so "judge" and "yourselves" 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 "judge" and "yourselves" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.