Does Jesus Indicate Prophecy Is Important?
Let’s examine some scripture to see if Jesus thought that to know prophecy is important.
Matthew 16:1-3 – 1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
2 He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
It appears that Jesus was reminding those who were in charge of looking for His coming that they were missing it. He also seemed to be upset about that. I would say this scripture indicates that Jesus wants us to know the prophecies. Let’s look on.
Luke 12:54-56 – 54 He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55 And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
In this scripture which somewhat parallels the other He even gets a little more specific and states, “how is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?” So not only were they missing the sign of the times, they were missing that very present time.
They were missing the very one they were supposed to be looking for. Yet they were looking for the Messiah. They weren’t looking for a lot of things, but mainly the Messiah. And yet they still were missing Him. Why? Their hearts were looking for the wrong thing. Had they really been looking for the Messiah they would have started to recognize Him. They were seeking world power and getting back on top instead of under the Romans. They didn’t want God or the Messiah Himself, but what came in their minds with it.
Has anything changed?
I don’t think so. I look around at even Christian friends and they are still chasing after everything but the Messiah, and yet they still try to convince themselves they are.
We’ll continue on this subject tomorrow.