Luke 7:24-35 JESUS VALIDATES JOHN

JESUS VALIDATES JOHN

Luke 7:24-35

Luke 7:24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously appareled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts.

Susie: Jesus is setting the scene of John’s ministry to demonstrate to the crowd that they did not go out to the Jordan river to vacation on the shore watching the reeds in the water sway back and forth. They certainly did not travel to see John because of his fancy clothing and excellent cuisine. John wore camel’s hair with a leather belt, and probably looked more like a homeless man than a messenger of God. He ate locusts and wild honey.

Susan: Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! Not the way I want to get my protein.

Susie: My mom once ate chocolate covered ants! But, I’m getting off track.

Luke 7:26-27 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Susan: John the Baptizer was not recognized by the religious elite as he should have been, but he was seen as a prophet by the common people. Those who recognized themselves as sinners understood his message of turning from sin toward God and being baptized to symbolize being washed clean of their sin.

Susie: The religious leaders were too concerned about where he received his theological training and did not see themselves as sinners in need of repentance. They were “holier-than-thou” types.

Susan: Jesus underscored that John was not just a run of the mill prophet. Instead, he was the forerunner to the Messiah as the prophet had foretold:

Malachi 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

Luke 7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

Susan: We puzzled over the statement in Luke 7:28, but the following helped us out:

The IVP New Testament Commentary Series as found at www.biblegateway.com

Jesus is indicating how great the difference is between the old era of the prophets of promise and the new era of the kingdom tied to Jesus. The greatest of the old era cannot touch the position of the lowest in the new! How great it is to share in the blessing Jesus brings. Even prophets sit at the feet of those who share in the blessing of the kingdom.

Susan: The prophets were blessed to foretell and look forward to the coming of the Messiah, but those of us on this side of the cross have the incomparable privilege of seeing what they hoped for come to life.

Luke 7:29 And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

Susie: “Justified God” is awkward for those of us who speak modern English. Let’s look at this in the Amplified Classic:

Luke 7:29 (AMPC) And all the people who heard Him, even the tax collectors, acknowledged the justice of God [in calling them to repentance and in pronouncing future wrath on the impenitent], being baptized with the baptism of John.

Susan: Those who had been baptized by John acknowledged that they needed to repent because God was the only just Judge of sin.

Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

Susie: The Pharisees and lawyers had not been baptized by John and had not acknowledged their need to repent. They thought they were right with God by observing the letter of the law even though the spirit of God’s love was not in them. They did not see their sin of pride or any of their other sins. Therefore, they felt no need for repentance. This was a rejection of God’s wisdom and judgment.

Luke 7:31-32 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.

Susie: Jesus is calling the religious leaders spoiled children who cannot be pleased. He explains the analogy in the next two verses.

Luke 7:33-34 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

Susan: John the Baptist led a rigid, austere, and serious life, and fasted and prayed on a regular basis. However, the Pharisees had rejected him. Jesus celebrated life and enjoyed relationships with all types of people, and the Pharisees rejected Him for not being more like John!

Luke 7:35 But wisdom is justified of all her children.

Susan: Those truly serving God will demonstrate their faith by good fruit (Galatians 5:22-23) and actualizing the character of the Lord.

Susie: It is not whether one lives as an introverted ascetic or an extreme extrovert that proves one’s relationship with God. It is by the works produced by the power of the Holy Spirit living within the believer (James 2:14-17).

Ponder this and Apply it: The people who should have been watching for the signs of the Messiah and seeing how Jesus fulfilled prophecies—the Pharisees, Priests, and Scribes—failed to recognize the long awaited One. The common people recognized themselves as sinners and saw their need of redemption and the validation of the miracles Jesus performed. It is easy for us to look back and think we would have known Jesus right off the bat. But would we? Or would we have let our pride get in the way of listening to a wild man prophet telling us another man was the Lamb of God? Would we have thought the itinerate preacher who had no home of His own was a crazy person, or would we have listened and believed? It is difficult to be honest with ourselves. Are you now thinking of yourself as better than others or less in need of salvation? Take a closer look in the mirror and thank the Lord for all He has done for you!

James 1:22-25 (Phillips) Have done, then, with impurity and every other evil which touches the lives of others, and humbly accept the message that God has sown in your hearts, and which can save your souls. Don’t I beg you, only hear the message, but put it into practice; otherwise you are merely deluding yourselves. The man who simply hears and does nothing about it is like a man catching the reflection of his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, it is true, but he goes on with whatever he was doing without the slightest recollection of what sort of person he saw in the mirror. But the man who looks into the perfect mirror of God’s law, the law of liberty (or freedom), and makes a habit of so doing, is not the man who sees and forgets. He puts that law into practice and he wins true happiness.