Matthew 16:2
Monday, 19 January 2026
He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; Matthew 16:2
“And answering, He said to them, ‘Evening having come, you say, “Good weather!”, for the heaven, it is red’” (CG).
In the previous verse, the Pharisees and Sadducees approached Jesus, asking for a sign from heaven. He now responds to their request, saying, “And answering, He said to them, ‘Evening having come, you say, “Good weather!”
A unique word is seen here, eudia, good weather. It is derived from eu, well or good, and the alternate of Zeus, Dia (the accusative case), the god of the weather. Jesus remarks to them that in the evening, it is normal for people, including the scribes and Pharisees, to walk outside and deduce that good weather is ahead.
The words are colloquial. One might walk out with a wife, a friend, or, when his neighbor is outside, look up and simply say, “Good weather!” That is next followed by Jesus’ explanation, as He says, “for the heaven, it is red.”
The clause contains another new word, purrazó, to be red or, intransitively, to redden. The word is only found in this verse and the next. It is derived from purrhos, fire-like, and thus red. Jesus’ words are axiomatic. People observe the sky and understand its regular patterns.
Life application: In Florida, when the wind may start racing from the south during winter, there is a ton of moisture and heat being drawn up from the tropics. This warm (or even hot) muggy air tells the locals that a cold front is on its way.
As the front nears, the wind turns to a west breeze. For those who surf, they start waxing their surfboards. Eventually, the wind switches to the north, and a line of often very heavy rain will come rushing through.
That is the same moisture that was being drawn up from the south. It is now being returned to the people, often with violent thunder, lightning accompanying it as the cold air meets the tropical air.
Very quickly, the temperatures begin to drop, the waves build, the surfers surf, and the bays that are along the Gulf Coast between the islands and the mainland will drop many feet in level, sometimes so much that fish are left lying on the bay’s bed, flopping around, waiting to be picked up by the thousands.
People know these things will come about, and they anticipate the changes coming simply because they understand the obvious nature of what is occurring. At such times, the bays can be so drained that one could walk across them without it getting more than knee deep.
This can all happen in a few hours. It is how the Red Sea passage is described in Exodus 14, where a strong east wind blew all that night.
Anyone who thinks the story is implausible has never seen the events in Florida at times as described above. Wind can be a strong force in drying out deep bodies of water.
Believe the Bible. It is reliable.
Lord God, we know that You can do all things, including drying out the sea for Israel to pass through it on foot. You even told us how You did it. Help us in our times of unbelief about things that we don’t have an explanation for. Be with us in our times of weakness and doubt. Amen.
