In Luke 12:54–59, Jesus challenges the crowd for being able to read the weather but missing the spiritual signs right in front of them. It’s a reminder for us to pay attention—to what the Holy Spirit is doing, to those small nudges from God in Scripture, worship, or everyday life. Jesus also calls us to be peacemakers, to settle things before they spiral, to bring calm instead of conflict. The early church understood this as a call to live wisely and faithfully—not seeking out suffering, but trusting God in it. So today, let’s be attentive and gracious. Pay attention to what God might be showing you, and look for ways to be an agent of peace and love wherever you go.

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Well, good morning. It’s good to be with you on this Tuesday morning as we’re back together for Rooted in Christ. I hope your week’s off to a great start. All’s well in my world, as best I know. It’s just good to be back in the Word with you on another beautiful Tuesday morning.

Today we’re finishing out Luke chapter 12, reading verses 54 through 59:

He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain,’ and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

“And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison. I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

This is an interesting passage—especially this last section. It really resonated with the early church, and I’ll unpack that in a second.

Remember, yesterday Jesus was talking about being ready and aware—how we don’t know when judgment is coming, or when he’ll return. Here, he’s saying, “Guys, you can read the weather, you can tell when it’s going to rain or get hot—but you can’t seem to read the spiritual signs right in front of you.”

That’s a good word for us, too. Are we paying attention to what the Holy Spirit is doing? Are we listening for those little nudges, those moments when God might be speaking?

When my staff and I do Bible study together, I always tell them—pay attention to what jumps off the page. What words, phrases, or ideas catch your attention? Maybe jot those down and come back to them. Let the Spirit lead you into what you need to hear.

And not just when you’re reading Scripture—pay attention in worship. Is there a line from a song that sticks with you? A phrase from the sermon? A comment from someone in the hallway that hits deeper than you expected? Those might be little Holy Spirit nudges.

Same thing in daily life. Maybe you feel a pull to call someone, to forgive, or to speak a kind word. Don’t ignore that. Pay attention.

Now, this last part of the passage about settling with your accuser before you get to court—early Christians thought about that a lot. Jesus isn’t talking about legal systems here—Paul later reminds us that the government has its role to uphold justice. What Jesus is talking about is our attitude.

As Christians, we should be agents of peace. We shouldn’t be the ones always escalating things. We should be the ones asking, “How can we bring calm? How can we deescalate? How can we bring grace into this situation?”

And here’s where it gets interesting: in the early church, there was sometimes a push toward martyrdom—some believers thought, “If dying for Jesus is the ultimate witness, let’s go get ourselves martyred!” But the church fathers said, “Hold on. If persecution comes, don’t run from it. But don’t go looking for it either.”

They said you can do more for God alive than dead. Life is sacred. So we shouldn’t seek out suffering, but if it comes, we trust God in it.

And that connects here—because as Christians, we should be pro-life in the fullest sense of the word. We should be pro-neighbor. We should want the flourishing of life—for ourselves and for others. Jesus said it: love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. That means we have to love ourselves too. Take care of you, and take care of others.

So, your homework today:

• Pay attention to the Spirit—listen for what God’s trying to show you.
• Pay attention to your relationships—where can you be an agent of grace? Where can you bring peace?

Someone you meet today is going to know God loves them because of you. That’s our calling—to be living signs of God’s mercy and love in a world that desperately needs it.

Thanks for being with me today. We’ll pick up tomorrow with Luke chapter 13. Have a great day.