Zeitgeist

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, “It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.

(Matthew 16:1-4 NKJV)

Zeitgeist is a German word for “spirit of the times”. It is used in English to define an important theme in current events. When you check the “Zeitgeist”, you are looking for the trends in the current events. (See an example of how this works with the Google site that checks the trends in the press.) Watching these trends helps you understand your world better. When you understand what is going on in the world, you learn to live in it better.

Jesus is irritated that the religious people of His day could not follow the “signs” of their day. They didn’t understand the “zeitgeist” – or more precisely, God’s Zeitgeist. They understood sailor’s wisdom – “red in morning, sailors take warning; red at night, sailor’s delight.” But to see God’s wisdom in the current events – that God’s Son has come – they couldn’t see and understand. Even though Jesus was right before their eyes. Peter could see God’s Zeitgeist. He answered Jesus’ question about His identity immediately (16:15-16). But Jesus needed to remind the religious leaders of a hint: the sign of Jonah. The religious leaders could not understand this obvious reference to Jesus’ death and resurrection, because their hearts were not watching.

Our hearts need to be watching the trends that point to God and His activity in the world today. We need to follow God’s Zeitgeist with our hearts.