Church Fathers Commentary Luke 12:54-57

"And he said to the multitudes also, When ye see a cloud rising in the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it cometh to pass. And when [ye see] a south wind blowing, ye say, There will be a scorching heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and the heaven; but how is it that ye know not how to interpret this time? And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?" — Luke 12:54-57 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: When He spoke about preaching and called it a sword, His hearers may have been troubled, not knowing what He meant. Therefore, our Lord adds that just as people determine the state of the weather by certain signs, so they should know His coming. This is what He means by saying, When you see a cloud rise out of the west, immediately you say, ‘There comes a shower.’ And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be heat,’ and so on.

He is saying, in effect, “Your words and works show that I am opposed to you. You may therefore suppose that I did not come to give peace, but the storm and whirlwind.” For I am a cloud, and I come from the west—that is, from human nature, which has long been clothed with the thick darkness of sin. I also came to send fire, that is, to stir up heat. For I am the strong south wind, opposed to the northern coldness.

The Venerable Bede: Or, those who can easily predict the state of the weather from the changing elements could, if they wished, also understand the time of our Lord’s coming from the words of the Prophets.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Since the prophets foretold the mystery of Christ in many ways, it was fitting for them, if they were wise, to look ahead to the future. Ignorance of what is to come will not help them after this life, for there will be wind and rain, and a future punishment by fire. This is signified when it is said, A shower comes.

It was also fitting that they not be ignorant of the time of salvation—that is, the coming of the Savior, through whom perfect piety entered the world. This is meant when it is said, You say that there will be heat. From this follows His censure of them: You hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky and the earth, but how is it that you do not discern this time?

St. Basil the Great: We must observe that predictions about the weather are necessary for human life, as long as we do not push our investigation of these signs beyond proper limits. It is possible to discover some things about coming rain, and even more about heat and the force of the winds—whether they will be localized or widespread, stormy or gentle. Everyone knows the great advantage these predictions provide for life. It is important for the sailor to forecast the dangers of storms, for the traveler to anticipate changes in the weather, and for the farmer to know about the abundant supply of his crops.

The Venerable Bede: But in case any of the people might claim ignorance of the prophetic books as a reason they could not discern the signs of the times, He carefully adds, And why even of yourselves do you not judge what is right? He shows them that even if they were uneducated, they could still by their natural ability discern that He, who did works no other man did, was more than human—that He was God. They could also discern that after the injustice of this world, the just judgment of creation would come.

Origen of Alexandria: But if the ability to judge what is right had not been implanted in our nature, our Lord would never have said this.