And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass.
People were skilled at reading common signs in the sky, so that when the south wind blew they said heat would follow, and the heat did come. That everyday accuracy in forecasting weather from the wind showed an ordinary ability to observe and interpret what was plainly before them.
That same ability made their failure more serious, because they did not recognize the signs of the times that pointed to God's kingdom and the mission of Jesus. They could tell heat from the south wind, yet they missed what those greater signs revealed about God's work among them.
The saying therefore belongs to an appeal to those blessed with great light to serve Christ with the whole heart instead of tame, listless striving. It calls them to pray and watch daily, and not merely to profess the truth but to live the truth and practice the truth. That living of the truth is to be done with supreme love to God and with love to those for whom Christ died.
People were skilled at reading common signs in the sky, so that when the south wind blew they said heat would follow, and the heat did come. That everyday accuracy in forecasting weather from the wind showed an ordinary ability to observe and interpret what was plainly before them.
That same ability made their failure more serious, because they did not recognize the signs of the times that pointed to God's kingdom and the mission of Jesus. They could tell heat from the south wind, yet they missed what those greater signs revealed about God's work among them.
The saying therefore belongs to an appeal to those blessed with great light to serve Christ with the whole heart instead of tame, listless striving. It calls them to pray and watch daily, and not merely to profess the truth but to live the truth and practice the truth. That living of the truth is to be done with supreme love to God and with love to those for whom Christ died.