Background

Luke chapter 12 verses 54 to 13 verse 9 - And he (Jesus) was also saying to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, 'It will be a hot day,' and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time? And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? For while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last cent.

Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. And he began telling this parable: A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, 'Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?' And he answered and said to him, 'Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.' "

Israel must have more predictable weather than the UK as Jesus uses it as an example of predicting the signs of the times. Cloud rising in the west is a predictor of rain, whereas wind from the south suggests a hot day (Luke chapter 12 verses 54 to 59).

The first example is environmental, i.e. only God can affect this. The second example is about a legal argument that requires an assessment of the opponent’s character that would affect how it may progress.

Spiritually, there are different events going to happen at different times, as recorded in the poem in the book of Ecclesiastes (chapter 3 verses 1 to 8). There are signs before these events.

Elijah prophesied drought (1 Kings chapter 17 verse 1) then not only did he prophesy the rain returning (chapter 18 verses 1, 41, 42) but also in between, called fire from the sky (verses 36 to 39).

When Jesus refers to hypocrites, he is probably referring to the religious leaders who should have seen the signs of the times and instructed the people (Luke chapter 12 verses 1,56) but they did not. The sign at that time was Jesus walking on the earth, and they did not recognise who he was but opposed and rejected him.

Even in the past, in the Old Testament laws, there were warnings (example - Deuteronomy Chapter 13 verses 12 to 18).

The people then reported two examples of events at that time to Jesus, to see if they had any spiritual significance. The first was a number of Galileans executed by Pilate, probably responsible for an uprising against the state ( Luke chapter 13 verse 2). The second was a tower that collapsed and killed 18 people (verse 4). Jesus said that they were nothing to do with the ‘signs of the times’.

Misfortune does not mean greater sin ( John chapter 9 verses 1 to 5).

Jesus talks about deferred judgment, it is definitely coming, so repent now while you can. The examples were people, some who deliberately put themselves at risk by their actions (the Galileans would have expected to die if they failed in their endeavour) and those who just happened to be present (at the time of the tower collapsing).

The background to sin and judgment starts in Genesis. There is an immediate and deferred judgment. Immediately humanity is removed from the garden of Eden (chapter 3 verses 22 to 24), separated from the goodness of God, but it can take a lifetime before judgment happens (chapter 6 verses 3, 5 to 8).

Humanity has purpose and that is to be fruitful. It starts with repentance and then by walking in the Holy Spirit, yielding fruit (Galatians chapter 5 verses 16 to 25).

Jesus illustrates this with the fig tree (Luke chapter 13 verses 6 to 9). In the orchard the tree is there for a purpose, to produce fruit. Each year it does not produce a yield it runs the risk of being uprooted and removed. The owner has to decide whether to wait a bit longer to see if will produce the fruit.

Judgment can be immediate or deferred for a bit longer. For fig trees it tended to produce fruit after 3 years but after 6 years it should have produced fruit (Leviticus chapter 19 verse 23; Deuteronomy chapter 14 verses 28,29).

There is often the possibility of allowing a bit more time for change, for repentance.

It is the role of the church to be prophetic, to discern the ‘signs of the times’, to be witnesses of Jesus and his call to repentance and salvation. The book of Revelation refers to these witnesses as the overcomers. It refers to their prophetic role as being like Elijah who caused drought and fire (Revelation chapter 11 verses 5,6).