Do you want to see it?

A well-known saying states that we often perceive what we are seeking. While this is acceptable when identifying a parking space or a familiar face in a crowd, it becomes problematic when what we are not looking for is occurring all around us and we fail to notice it because we have not trained our eyes to anticipate it.

Jesus also addressed the crowds, saying, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?” (Luke 12:54–56, NASB95)

The crowd Jesus was speaking to had no difficulty interpreting the weather. If they saw a cloud rising in the west or a shift in the wind, they would accurately predict the weather conditions and be correct. However, they were unable to apply the same trained eye to the moment they were actually present.

Jesus had already made it clear that His mission was to bring good news to the poor, freedom to the oppressed, sight to the blind, and God’s favor to all (Luke 4:18–19). The opportunities to serve those who were sick, the outcast, the widow, and the leper were readily available to them. Nevertheless, they resisted seeing because they were afraid that clear sight would necessitate a response.

This is the hypocrisy Jesus exposes: we can monitor a storm yet neglect a suffering neighbor, dismiss the injustice and lack of attention given to multiple hangings in the South, the frequent and blatant racism and racial slurs that are easily expressed without accountability. The “present time” was not concealed; it was inconvenient and easily ignored. You will either be a part of the problem or a solution-oriented individual.

While sight is the initial requirement, it is not the sole prerequisite. Reading a cloud solely relies on the eyes, whereas reading justice necessitates a deeper understanding and empathy. Directly observing an injustice may not reveal its true nature if one refuses to empathize with the burdens it imposes on others. To analyze “this present time” in the manner Jesus demands transcends mere observation of the poor; it involves questioning the underlying causes of their suffering and acknowledging the emotional toll of such injustices. Without empathy, justice remains abstract and detached, akin to a filed-away fact rather than a wound that demands action. Jesus did not merely diagnose the crowd’s blindness; He wept over cities, expressed compassion for “sheep without a shepherd,” and touched the leper before healing him. Seeing rightly and feeling rightly were never separate acts for Him.

Therefore, the question extends beyond whether one can perceive injustice; it pertains to the actions one will take once they have done so. Open eyes without ready hands serve merely as commentary. The urgent need of the present demands eyes open enough to identify the poor, sick, and marginalized individuals standing before us; a compassionate heart capable of comprehending the true cost of their injustices; and hands prepared to act upon the demands of their recognition before the moment passes and the opportunity to respond becomes merely an obligation to answer for inaction.

This is the work we have designated at Sankofa: return, remember, restore. One cannot return to what they refuse to perceive clearly. They cannot remember a history they have trained their eyes to overlook. And there is no restoration without first acknowledging the brokenness, the exclusion, and the ongoing exclusion that persist in the present time, not merely in the pages of a historical record. Sankofa compels us to look back so that we may see forward; Luke 12 challenges us to look around, right now, at what is already evident, and to allow our perception to move us.

Jesus does not condemn the crowd for their ability to see. He condemns them for having eyes open to everything except the individuals who required their attention and hearts closed to the emotional response that would have been necessary to truly understand the implications of their actions.

The sky does not await our readiness. Neither does the neighbor at our doorstep.

Do you desire to perceive injustice?