King James Bible
"And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is."
Jesus turns from addressing his disciples to speak to the broader crowd. This transition signals a shift to more general teachings about spiritual discernment that apply to all hearers, not just his inner circle. In Palestine, clouds from the west come from the Mediterranean Sea, carrying moisture inland. Jesus draws on common meteorological knowledge that his audience would have used daily for agricultural and travel planning. The people's immediate and confident prediction demonstrates their ability to read natural signs accurately. This sets up Jesus' contrast between their weather wisdom and spiritual blindness. Jesus affirms the reliability of their weather predictions, validating their observational skills. This acknowledgment strengthens his forthcoming rebuke about their failure to apply similar discernment to spiritual matters.