King James Bible
"Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?"
Jesus directly confronts his audience with a sharp rebuke, exposing the disconnect between their outward religious appearance and their spiritual blindness. The term highlights their willful ignorance rather than mere inability to understand. Christ acknowledges their practical wisdom in reading weather patterns and natural signs for daily life. This competence in earthly matters makes their spiritual obtuseness all the more culpable. The rhetorical question emphasizes their failure to recognize the messianic age breaking into history through Jesus' ministry. 'This time' (kairos) refers to the decisive moment of God's kingdom arrival, which they miss despite clear signs.