“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. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. 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? Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? 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. I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.” Luke 12:54-59

After the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus began to more fully allow the people to know who He is. This led to more questions from the religious leaders of the day. Repeated confrontations with the Scribes and Pharisees grew progressively controversial.

And in this conversation, Jesus didn’t pull any punches!

The very men who should know the prophecies of the Messiah best are the ones who do not recognize Him when He is standing right in their midst. Everything that Jesus said and did pointed to the fact that He truly IS the Promised One. If they could predict the weather, they should have been able to easily see this!

Jesus also warned them of the consequence of their denial. The destruction of Jerusalem would come during their generation. Those who recognized that Jesus was the Messiah would know to flee and be saved from this national judgment. Those who continued in their stubborn blindness would pay for it with their lives when Titus marches in.

Our eternal salvation is secured by the finished work of Jesus Christ. However, there are temporal judgments that we can, as individuals, families, churches, and nations, avoid if we more enthusiastically embrace who Jesus is in our daily discipleship.