And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus calls them "hypocrites" not just because they're pretending, but because they're so adept at reading natural signs yet willfully blind to God's spiritual signs. They can forecast the weather with uncanny accuracy but refuse to see that the very signs foretold in Scripture are happening right before their eyes.
And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
English Standard Version (ESV)
These verses capture a heated moment where religious leaders confront Jesus, demanding a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. Jesus, recognizing their insincere motives and spiritual blindness, rebukes them by comparing their ability to interpret weather signs with their complete failure to understand the profound spiritual signals of his presence. He declares that this generation will only be given the sign of Jonah, implying his resurrection, and then turns away from their persistent, faithless demands.
You know how to read the sky, but can you read the times? Jesus uses a common, everyday skill to highlight a profound spiritual blindness.
Jesus points out the amazing ability people had to read the weather. A red,
Why does Jesus call them 'hypocrites'? It's not just about being wrong; it's about willfully ignoring what's right in front of them.
Jesus' sharp rebuke, 'Hypocrites!', isn't just a casual insult. It cuts to the core of their problem. They were skilled at discerning the physical world – predicting storms based on the sky's appearance. This was a practical, everyday skill they used for their own benefit.
A Voluntary Darkness
But when it came to the most crucial signs of their day – the very arrival of the Messiah they had longed for, heralded by prophecy and Jesus' own powerful ministry – they were willfully blind. They chose not to see. Their discerning the weather was a natural ability; discerning the 'signs of the times' required spiritual sight, something they actively resisted.
This wasn't a lack of intelligence, but a failure of the heart. They were more concerned with earthly comforts and their own religious traditions than with the divine reality unfolding before them. Their pretense of seeking a sign, while ignoring the abundant ones already given, was the height of their hypocrisy.
Ask a follow-up
What were these 'signs of the times' that Jesus' contemporaries missed, and how do they speak to us today?
The 'signs of the times' Jesus refers to were not just random occurrences. They were the specific indicators that the long-awaited Messianic age had dawned.
Prophecies Fulfilled
These signs included:
A Call to Discernment
These weren't obscure hints; they were clear, unfolding events. Yet, the religious leaders, blinded by their own agendas and expectations, refused to connect the dots. They were so focused on the physical storm clouds that they missed the divine storm of change and salvation gathering around them. Our own times are also filled with 'signs' – God's continuous work in the world, the unfolding of His redemptive plan, and calls to live for Him. The challenge is to cultivate the spiritual discernment to see them.
Jesus contrasts the crowds' ability to read natural weather signs with their failure to recognize the profound spiritual 'signs of the times' pointing to His messianic identity and the unfolding of God's plan.
c. 6 BC
Herod the Great Dies
The death of Herod the Great, a Roman client king in Judea, led to political instability and division of his kingdom among his sons. This marked a decline in Jewish self-rule and increased Roman intervention.
c. AD 25-26
John the Baptist Begins Ministry
John the Baptist starts his public ministry, preaching repentance and baptizing in the wilderness. His ministry was seen by many as a sign of the imminent arrival of the Messiah.
c. AD 27-28
Jesus Begins Public Ministry
Jesus commences his public ministry, teaching, healing, and gathering disciples. His actions and teachings began to fulfill prophecies about the Messiah.
c. AD 28-30— this verse
Growing Opposition and Demands for Signs
As Jesus' ministry progresses, religious leaders like the Pharisees and Sadducees become increasingly hostile. They challenge his authority and demand a sign from heaven to validate his claims, often to test him rather than with genuine desire to believe.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection
Jesus is crucified and rises from the dead. This event, central to Christian belief, is considered the ultimate sign by his followers, though many of his contemporaries did not recognize its significance.
Jesus makes a similar point, contrasting people's ability to predict weather with their inability or unwillingness to recognize the spiritual significance of the present moment.
Matthew 12:38-40Here, Jesus rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for demanding a sign, promising only the sign of Jonah, which directly relates to His death and resurrection – the ultimate sign they were failing to recognize.
1 Chronicles 12:32This passage highlights the wisdom of the men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel ought to do, paralleling the spiritual discernment Jesus called for.
Isaiah 5:20This prophetic warning speaks against those who 'call evil good, and good evil,' reflecting the spiritual blindness and distorted judgment Jesus encountered in the religious leaders.
Daniel 2:21This verse speaks of God's power to change times and seasons, set up kings, and remove them, underscoring the profound divine movements happening in Jesus' time that the leaders were ignoring.
vincentMatthew 16:3: "And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?"
Lowering (στυγνάζων)The verb means to have a gloomy look. Dr. Morison compares the Scotch gloaming or glooming. Cranmer, the sky is glooming red. The word is used only here and at Mark 10:22, of the young ruler, turning from Christ with his face overshadowed with gloom. A.V., he was sad. Rev., his…
calvinMatthew 16:1-4: "The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven."
- And the Pharisees, together with the Sadducees, came, and tempting desired that he would show them a sign from heaven. 2. But he answering said to them, About the commencement of the evening you say, It will be fine weather; for the sky is red. 3. And in the morning, There will be a storm today; for the sky is red and lowering. Hypocrites, you can judge aright of…
Jesus calls them "hypocrites" not just because they're pretending, but because they're so adept at reading natural signs yet willfully blind to God's spiritual signs. They can forecast the weather with uncanny accuracy but refuse to see that the very signs foretold in Scripture are happening right before their eyes.
These verses capture a heated moment where religious leaders confront Jesus, demanding a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. Jesus, recognizing their insincere motives and spiritual blindness, rebukes them by comparing their ability to interpret weather signs with their complete failure to understand the profound spiritual signals of his presence. He declares that this generation will only be given the sign of Jonah, implying his resurrection, and then turns away from their persistent, faithless demands.
These verses capture a heated moment where religious leaders confront Jesus, demanding a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. Jesus, recognizing their insincere motives and spiritual blindness, rebukes them by comparing their ability to interpret weather signs with their complete failure to understand the profound spiritual signals of his presence. He declares that this generation will only be given the sign of Jonah, implying his resurrection, and then turns away from their persistent, faithless demands.
"And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times." — Jesus calls them "hypocrites" not just because they're pretending, but because they're so adept at reading natural signs yet willfully blind to God's spiritual signs. They can forecast the weather…
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Last reviewed October 2026