Meaning:
It's typical of the time we live in.
Background:
This expression can be found in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16:
The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show
them a sign from heaven. He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be
fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy,
for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of
the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and
adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the
sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away. (New International Version)
The Pharisees were at various times a political party, a social movement and a
school of thought; around 70 CE, their beliefs became the foundational,
liturgical and ritualistic basis for Rabbinic Judaism (which is what we know as
mainstream Judaism today). The Sadducees were an upper class Judean sect that,
among other things, was responsible for maintaining the Temple. At the time that
the Pharisees' beliefs were becoming the mainstream, the Sadducees were
effectively becoming extinct, which appears to coincide with the Roman's
destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.
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What are the signs of our times? The one that came first to mind was the
division of labor, a prevailing idea that has flourished over the past two and
half centuries. The wealth and knowledge as a result must have mushroomed beyond
recognition for Adam Smith, were he brought back to life today. But can we
interpret that sign and conclude that the world is peachier than his time?
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