25 August 2017 — 17:33
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 82 viewsNotes
Transcript
Pull a coin out of your pocket and look at it. What does it tell you?
I don’t mean, how rich does it say you are. Nor am I thinking about the actual words that are engraved on it. I’m referring to the pictures, the symbols.
The last two countries I visited before writing this were Greece and the United States; as usual, some of their coins came home with me. The Greek ones have pictures of ancient heroes: Alexander the Great on a 100-drachma coin, Democritus the philosopher on a 10-drachma one. On the other side they have symbols: the sun with its bright rays on the first, the sun and the solar system on the other. The American coins have heroes, too, though not quite so old: Abraham Lincoln on one, George Washington on another. And the symbols, for those who bother to look at them, are powerful too: Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home in Virginia, on the back of the cent piece, the great eagle on the quarter, and so on.
Now imagine that you had never seen a book, a newspaper, a photograph or even a stained-glass window. The only pictures you would know would be occasional paintings, carvings, mosaic floors (if you were, or worked for, someone very rich)—and coins. And coins were the only ones you would see regularly. They were the only mass medium in the ancient world. They were the principal way of getting across a symbolic message to ordinary people. For Jews, who (at least in theory) weren’t allowed to make pictures of human beings, the choice of symbols for coins was very important indeed.
When Herod Antipas chose the symbols for his coins, just a few years before the time of Jesus’ public ministry, his favourite was a typical Galilean reed. You would see whole beds of them swaying in the breeze by the shores of the sea of Galilee. A reed would symbolize the beauty and fertility of that area.
‘What did you go out to see?’ asked Jesus to the crowds who had gone to be baptized by John, and were now following him. ‘A reed swaying in the breeze?’ They would have got the message. Were you looking for a new king—another one like old so-and-so up the road? If they missed the point, the next line brought it closer home. Were you looking for someone wearing the latest splendid fashions? If so, you were looking in the wrong place: the royal palace is the place for luxurious clothes. Well then, what were you looking for? A prophet! Yes indeed, but something more than just ‘a’ prophet. This was a special prophet indeed. This was the Advance Guard, the Preparer.
This whole long passage, the discussion between Jesus and John’s messengers, and then Jesus’ cryptic comments to the crowd, highlight one question in particular: who does Jesus think he is? To talk about Herod on the one hand, even by implication, and to talk about John on the other, are ways of talking about the figure who stands in between them. Is Jesus just a powerful prophet? Is he the new king, God’s anointed, destined to replace Herod? Or what is he?
John, in prison, was clearly puzzled. Jesus wasn’t doing what he had expected. If Jesus really was the Messiah, why wasn’t he establishing the sort of messianic kingdom John wanted—presumably including liberation for prisoners like himself? Jesus is far too astute, with listening ears all around, to say openly, ‘Yes, I’m the Messiah’. We hear a few chapters later that Herod wanted to kill him (13:31), and a clear statement would have been an unnecessary risk. Instead, he heals all sorts of people before the eyes of the messengers, and suggests that they draw their conclusions—with a helping shove in the right direction provided by the quotation of various passages of Isaiah. (Some Jews already saw this sort of list as a prediction of what the Messiah would do when he came; one such list occurs in an ancient scroll found in Qumran.) This is the kind of Messiah Jesus intends to be: not a straightforward rival to Herod (though his kingdom will eventually challenge and outlast all the Herods in the world), but a kingdom operating in a different mode altogether, healing people and the world at every level.
But if Jesus is a different sort of king, John is a different sort of prophet. He isn’t just one prophet among many. He is the one spoken of by Malachi, the one whose task is to prepare the way for the coming Lord. In , the messenger clears the path for the Master to come to the Temple and cleanse it of all unholiness, to bring God’s judgement and mercy to bear on Israel as a whole. And in this passage the Master in question doesn’t seem to be simply the Messiah; he is yhwh himself, Israel’s God in person. That, we may suppose, is why (though initially it sounds surprising) the least in God’s kingdom is greater than John. The least of those who belong to the new movement initiated by Jesus is greater than the greatest man who was ever born up to that time. This is a strong claim indeed, though still too indirect for anyone to take it back as a hostile report to Herod. Those who sat down and chewed it over, though, would realize what was being said. Those who didn’t would still look and look but never see the point.
Many of Jesus’ contemporaries were like that: complaining that John was too austere, complaining in the next breath that Jesus was too much the life and soul of the party. But wisdom will out, and those who had understood what was going on would see that this was how it had to be.
People today still judge Jesus by their expectations, instead of pausing and probing into the evidence to see what was really going on. They do the same, often enough, with Jesus’ followers—criticizing some for being too strict, others for being too soft, some for being too intellectual, others for being too down-to-earth. Yet wisdom can still be glimpsed by those with eyes to see. Following the Messiah who is different to what we imagined is always demanding; but this is the only way to the kingdom of God.
Wright, T. (2004). Luke for Everyone (pp. 86–88). London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
Body
Y se extendió la fama de él por toda Judea, y por toda la región de alrededor.
Los discípulos de Juan le dieron las nuevas de todas estas cosas. Y llamó Juan a dos de sus discípulos, y los envió a Jesús, para preguntarle: ¿Eres tú el que había de venir, o esperaremos a otro?
Lucas 7:17–
As Jesus’ ministry expanded, that of John the Baptist suffered literal confinement. Straight-shooting John was in prison because he had the moral courage to condemn Herod’s marriage to Herodias, Herod’s one-time sister-in-law (cf. 3:19, 20). John was incarcerated in the dungeon of Machaerus Maqueronte, the desert fortress-palace perched on a desolate high ridge by the Dead Sea, where today the remains of the castle’s dungeons can still be seen, complete with iron hooks. A more desolate, formidable place is difficult to imagine. And it was there that John’s head would be given to Herodias (cf. ).
As Jesus’ ministry expanded, that of John the Baptist suffered literal confinement. Straight-shooting John was in prison because he had the moral courage to condemn Herod’s marriage to Herodias, Herod’s one-time sister-in-law (cf. 3:19, 20). John was incarcerated in the dungeon of Machaerus Maqueronte, the desert fortress-palace perched on a desolate high ridge by the Dead Sea, where today the remains of the castle’s dungeons can still be seen, complete with iron hooks. A more desolate, formidable place is difficult to imagine. And it was there that John’s head would be given to Herodias (cf. ).
As John languished at Machaerus, he became increasingly perplexed by the reports he heard of Jesus’ ministry because they didn’t jibe with the twofold prophecy he had preached about what Jesus would do (3:16, 17).
respondió Juan, diciendo a todos: Yo a la verdad os bautizo en agua; pero viene uno más poderoso que yo, de quien no soy digno de desatar la correa de su calzado; él os bautizará en Espíritu Santo y fuego. Su aventador está en su mano, y limpiará su era, y recogerá el trigo en su granero, y quemará la paja en fuego que nunca se apagará.
On the one hand, Jesus’ marvelous miracles fit well with John’s prophecy regarding the great work of the Holy Spirit. But in regard to his prophecy of judgment, that Jesus would “burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire,” nothing had happened. The Romans were still in firm control. Their lackeys, including Herod and Herodias, were living in comfort. The religious establishment was just as arrogant and self-righteous as ever. And John, sitting in prison, was getting no help from Jesus as far as he could see. Disappointed and puzzled, John sent messengers to Jesus asking,
Cuando, pues, los hombres vinieron a él, dijeron: Juan el Bautista nos ha enviado a ti, para preguntarte: ¿Eres tú el que había de venir, o esperaremos a otro?
Jesus Validates His Ministry (vv. 21–23)
On the one hand, Jesus’ marvelous miracles fit well with John’s prophecy regarding the great work of the Holy Spirit. But in regard to his prophecy of judgment, that Jesus would “burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire,” nothing had happened. The Romans were still in firm control. Their lackeys, including Herod and Herodias, were living in comfort. The religious establishment was just as arrogant and self-righteous as ever. And John, sitting in prison, was getting no help from Jesus as far as he could see. Disappointed and puzzled, John sent messengers to Jesus asking, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (v. 20).
“Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (v. 20).
Jesus Validates His Ministry (vv. 21–23)
Jesus’ Answer
Jesus responded with a heart-stopping, eye-popping display of spiritual power:
En esa misma hora sanó a muchos de enfermedades y plagas, y de espíritus malos, y a muchos ciegos les dio la vista.
He produced a riot of healing, leading to unrestrained joy. Restored eyes beheld the blue Palestinian sky and the faces of family members, and both the healed and their loved ones whooped for joy. Newly restored minds engaged in noisy worship.
“At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind” (v. 21). He produced a riot of healing, leading to unrestrained joy. Restored eyes beheld the blue Palestinian sky and the faces of family members, and both the healed and their loved ones whooped for joy. Newly restored minds engaged in noisy worship.
For the second part of the answer, Jesus informed the messengers that his actions were fulfilling messianic prophecies given in Isaiah:
Y respondiendo Jesús, les dijo: Id, haced saber a Juan lo que habéis visto y oído: los ciegos ven, los cojos andan, los leprosos son limpiados, los sordos oyen, los muertos son resucitados, y a los pobres es anunciado el evangelio;
At least four separate Isaiah texts were alluded to in Jesus’ answer—26:19, 29:18ff., 35:5ff., and 61:1, the last of which was earlier quoted by Jesus when he began his ministry (cf. , ).
El Espíritu del Señor está sobre mí,
Por cuanto me ha ungido para dar buenas nuevas a los pobres;
Me ha enviado a sanar a los quebrantados de corazón;
A pregonar libertad a los cautivos,
Y vista a los ciegos;
A poner en libertad a los oprimidos;
A predicar el año agradable del Señor.
“So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor” (v. 22). At least four separate Isaiah texts were alluded to in Jesus’ answer—26:19, 29:18ff., 35:5ff., and 61:1, the last of which was earlier quoted by Jesus when he began his ministry (cf. , ).
Jesus sent John’s messengers back to him with overwhelming empirical and Scriptural evidence that massive messianic power was flowing through him. This was an awesome validation.
Jesus sent John’s messengers back to him with overwhelming empirical and Scriptural evidence that massive messianic power was flowing through him. This was an awesome validation.
But significantly, Jesus offered no explanation as to why fiery judgment had been withheld, nor did he offer any encouragement that John would be delivered from prison.
Jesus’ Blessing
The only hint of encouragement was in the form of a beatitude that Jesus derived from , ,
Entonces él será por santuario; pero a las dos casas de Israel, por piedra para tropezar, y por tropezadero para caer, y por lazo y por red al morador de Jerusalén. Y muchos tropezarán entre ellos, y caerán, y serán quebrantados; y se enredarán y serán apresados.
y bienaventurado es aquel que no halle tropiezo en mí.
The sense is: “John, you and anyone else like you will be blessed if you do not fall away because of your disappointment with the way I choose to work.” And John took heart and remained steadfast to the end.
“Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me” (v. 23). The sense is: “John, you and anyone else like you will be blessed if you do not fall away because of your disappointment with the way I choose to work.” And John took heart and remained steadfast to the end.
John is not the only one who ever felt puzzled, even disappointed with Jesus. Many today say that they cannot believe in Jesus if spiritual salvation is his main interest, rather than political or economic salvation. I have seen people who professed to be Christians fall away when they did not get the marriage partner they hoped for, or the healing, or the prosperity they felt ought to be part of their lives. So today, as much as ever (perhaps even more so in our self-focused, contemporary culture), we need to live out this beatitude: “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”
y bienaventurado es aquel que no halle tropiezo en mí.
Jesus Validates John’s Ministry (vv. 24–28)
Jesus Validates John’s Ministry (vv. 24–28)
After sending John the Baptist’s disciples back to him with such a challenging answer, Jesus evidently sensed that some who had heard his words might wrongly begin to depreciate John’s ministry, a situation the Savior would not let go unchecked.
After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John:
Cuando se fueron los mensajeros de Juan, comenzó a decir de Juan a la gente: ¿Qué salisteis a ver al desierto? ¿Una caña sacudida por el viento? Mas ¿qué salisteis a ver? ¿A un hombre cubierto de vestiduras delicadas? He aquí, los que tienen vestidura preciosa y viven en deleites, en los palacios de los reyes están. Mas ¿qué salisteis a ver? ¿A un profeta? Sí, os digo, y más que profeta. Este es de quien está escrito:
He aquí, envío mi mensajero delante de tu faz,
El cual preparará tu camino delante de ti.
A reed swaying in the wind caña sacudida por el viento was metaphorical for an easygoing person. That did not describe John! In keeping with his unyielding stance, John rejected “fine” (literally, “soft”) clothing. He preferred prophetic chic—a camel’s-hair coat, leather belt, and so on. There were no palaces for him. His life was gloriously alfresco. No one owned him but God. He kowtowed to no one.
A reed swaying in the wind was metaphorical for an easygoing person. That did not describe John! In keeping with his unyielding stance, John rejected “fine” (literally, “soft”) clothing. He preferred prophetic chic—a camel’s-hair coat, leather belt, and so on. There were no palaces for him. His life was gloriously alfresco. No one owned him but God. He kowtowed to no one.
A reed swaying in the wind was metaphorical for an easygoing person. That did not describe John! In keeping with his unyielding stance, John rejected “fine” (literally, “soft”) clothing. He preferred prophetic chic—a camel’s-hair coat, leather belt, and so on. There were no palaces for him. His life was gloriously alfresco. No one owned him but God. He kowtowed to no one.
He was “more than a prophet” because he fulfilled the prophecy of as the messenger sent to prepare the way for the Messiah.
He aquí, yo envío mi mensajero, el cual preparará el camino delante de mí; y vendrá súbitamente a su templo el Señor a quien vosotros buscáis, y el ángel del pacto, a quien deseáis vosotros. He aquí viene, ha dicho Jehová de los ejércitos.
The angel Gabriel had referred to the Malachi passage when he announced John’s birth to his father Zechariah (1:17), Zechariah referenced the text again in his song after John’s circumcision (1:76), and now Jesus cites it of him as well (v. 27).
The angel Gabriel had referred to the Malachi passage when he announced John’s birth to his father Zechariah (1:17), Zechariah referenced the text again in his song after John’s circumcision (1:76), and now Jesus cites it of him as well (v. 27).
John the Baptist was one great man, as Jesus attested:
Os digo que entre los nacidos de mujeres, no hay mayor profeta que Juan el Bautista; pero el más pequeño en el reino de Dios es mayor que él.
[read until ...Juan el Bautista]
John was the greatest man who ever lived, except of course for the God/man himself, Jesus. The qualification—
Os digo que entre los nacidos de mujeres, no hay mayor profeta que Juan el Bautista; pero el más pequeño en el reino de Dios es mayor que él.
[begin with pero el más…]
—does not diminish the fact of John’s greatness. The kingdom must be superior to its announcement. The people of the kingdom must be superior to its announcer. A position in the kingdom must be greater than that of its herald (though, of course, John was also a member of the kingdom). So kingdom membership aside, John and his ministry were the greatest—greater than that of Abraham, Moses, or Elijah. This divine validation set the stage for the ultimate revelation of the human condition, which would be seen in the people’s response.
The People’s Response to the Validations (vv. 29, 30)
For our instruction, Luke parenthetically recorded opposite responses:
Y todo el pueblo y los publicanos, cuando lo oyeron, justificaron a Dios, bautizándose con el bautismo de Juan. Mas los fariseos y los intérpretes de la ley desecharon los designios de Dios respecto de sí mismos, no siendo bautizados por Juan.
Lucas
The common people, including the outcasts, agreed with Jesus’ pronouncements regarding his and John’s ministries—they “acknowledged that God’s way was right.” Literally, they “justified God”—i.e., “pronounced God just.” On the other hand, the leaders, those who knew all the ins and outs of the Law, rejected what was said, acknowledging that it might apply to others but not to them.4
(All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.) (vv. 29, 30)
The common people, including the outcasts, agreed with Jesus’ pronouncements regarding his and John’s ministries—they “acknowledged that God’s way was right.” Literally, they “justified God”—i.e., “pronounced God just.” On the other hand, the leaders, those who knew all the ins and outs of the Law, rejected what was said, acknowledging that it might apply to others but not to them.4
The explicit reason for people’s either receiving Jesus’ word or rejecting it was whether or not they had “been baptized by John.” John’s baptism had become a spiritual continental divide in Israel. John’s baptism required confession and repentance of one’s sins, and one’s willingness or unwillingness to do so made all the difference. Earlier Luke wrote of John’s ministry:
Y él fue por toda la región contigua al Jordán, predicando el bautismo del arrepentimiento para perdón de pecados,
Mark records in his parallel description:
Bautizaba Juan en el desierto, y predicaba el bautismo de arrepentimiento para perdón de pecados. Y salían a él toda la provincia de Judea, y todos los de Jerusalén; y eran bautizados por él en el río Jordán, confesando sus pecados.
“He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (3:3). Mark records in his parallel description:
When the common people heard John thunder,
And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. (, )
Y decía a las multitudes que salían para ser bautizadas por él: ¡Oh generación de víboras! ¿Quién os enseñó a huir de la ira venidera? Haced, pues, frutos dignos de arrepentimiento, y no comencéis a decir dentro de vosotros mismos: Tenemos a Abraham por padre; porque os digo que Dios puede levantar hijos a Abraham aun de estas piedras.
Lucas 3:7–8
many were convicted of the truth of John’s teaching and saw their need. They knew they were sinners deserving God’s wrath. So they hurried out to the Jordan to confess their sins and be baptized.
When the common people heard John thunder, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’ ” (, ), many were convicted of the truth of John’s teaching and saw their need. They knew they were sinners deserving God’s wrath. So they hurried out to the Jordan to confess their sins and be baptized.
“You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’ ” (, ), many were convicted of the truth of John’s teaching and saw their need. They knew they were sinners deserving God’s wrath. So they hurried out to the Jordan to confess their sins and be baptized.
But Pharisees and lawyers, who prided themselves on their keeping of the Law and were content to rest their hope of salvation on their merits, refrained from the humiliation of baptism. Of course, they would never have claimed to keep the Law perfectly but rather, sufficiently. They were sure that at the final judgment their shortcomings would be overlooked by their benign Judge. Therefore, they considered John’s insistence that God would not overlook their shortcomings, that they must repent and be baptized, as extreme and grotesque.
What so dulled the hearts of Israel’s leaders that they would not repent?
Familiarity. There was certainly a professional familiarity with religious observance among the establishment. In regard to religious familiarity, C. S. Lewis wrote to a friend, “Someone has said, ‘None are so unholy as those whose hands are cauterised with holy things;’ sacred things may become profane by becoming matters of the job.… I’ve always been glad myself that Theology is not the thing I earn my living by.”
There is a grave danger in ritual familiarity with holy matters, even if you are not a professional. It is all too easy to go spiritually brain-dead when the prelude begins, to “say” prayers rather than pray them, to use the cadence of a confession as a rhythmic anesthetic, to mindlessly mouth the words of great hymns and gospel songs, to nod off during the sermon, to glibly mouth evangelical creeds—and then imagine that we’re really spiritual.
Shallowness. Because the enemy works hard to keep churchgoers from thinking too deeply about sin, there is a pervasive shallowness of thought about the human condition. The Puritan theologian John Owen wrote, “He that hath slight thoughts of sin never had great thoughts of God.” Contemplation of God brings reflection on sin, and reflection on sin brings contemplation of God.
Evangelicals’ ignorance of what the Scriptures say about sin makes them vulnerable to shallow doctrine. For example, one best-selling Christian author says, “Reformation theology failed to make clear that the core of sin is a lack of self-esteem.” He adds that salvation “means to be permanently lifted from sin … and shame to self-esteem and its God-glorifying human need-meeting, constructive and creative consequences.”9 Thus thousands of his naive readers imagine that sin is thinking ill of oneself, rather than being an inward evil. Such reduction of basic Biblical theology is deadly.
Ignorance of the radical nature of sin has also allowed the cultural blurring of good and evil to invade Christian thinking. Films like Batman make dualism acceptable and cool. “Good” people like Batman have sexual affairs with evil people like Catwoman. Light and darkness become one! The movie’s director, Tim Burton, said as much in a Chicago Tribune interview: “Batman and Catwoman are drawn toward one another—good/bad, bad/good, that kind of a thing. And she’s wearing black and he’s wearing black, and she has a whip, and it sounds like a pretty good weekend to me.” Sadly, many Christians uncritically watch such films, unaware that moral discernment is being replaced with a shallow, gray, relativistic fog—ancient Manichaeism.
Self-righteousness. A shallow or forgotten understanding of sin is a road to self-righteousness. Like the man who came to the preacher after the sermon and said, “I can’t swallow what you say about depravity.” Fortunately, the preacher had his wits and responded, “That’s all right—it’s already within you!” Self-righteousness leaves people sitting in their pews hearing preaching but never being moved to do anything in response.
Sin’s grip. Many things dull our hearts, but perhaps the greatest of them all is the grip of the sin to which we give ourselves. The celebrated philosopher Mortimer Adler hesitated to become a Christian precisely because he knew what it would entail. Writes Adler:
That’s a great gulf between the mind and the heart. I was on the edge of becoming a Christian several times, but didn’t do it. I said that if one is born a Christian, one can be light-hearted about living up to Christianity, but if one converts by a clear conscious act of will, one had better be prepared to live a truly Christian life. So you ask yourself, are you prepared to give up all your vices and the weaknesses of the flesh?
It is imperative that we recognize what is within us. We must not be dulled by familiarity, or shallow, unbiblical thinking, or self-righteousness, or sin’s grip. The solemn fact is, if we do not understand our need, nothing will move us, whether it be the preaching of John or even Jesus’ atoning death on the cross.
God’s Word is precise in its estimation of every person who has ever lived:
• Heart:
¿Pues qué, si algunos de ellos han sido incrédulos? ¿Su incredulidad habrá hecho nula la fidelidad de Dios?
Como está escrito:
No hay justo, ni aun uno;
• Words:
“As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one.’ ”
Sepulcro abierto es su garganta;
Con su lengua engañan.
Veneno de áspides hay debajo de sus labios;
Su boca está llena de maldición y de amargura.
• Words: “ ‘Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.’ ‘The poison of vipers is on their lips.’ ‘Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.’ ”
• Deeds:
“ ‘Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.’ ‘The poison of vipers is on their lips.’ ‘Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.’ ”
Sus pies se apresuran para derramar sangre;
Quebranto y desventura hay en sus caminos;
Sus pies se apresuran para derramar sangre;
Quebranto y desventura hay en sus caminos;
Y no conocieron camino de paz.
Romans 3:15–16
Romans
• Conclusion:
• Deeds: “ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.’ ”
“ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.’ ”
No hay temor de Dios delante de sus ojos.
Jesus Profiles His Rejectors (vv. 31–35)
• Conclusion: “ ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes’ ” ().
“ ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes’ ” ().
Jesus Profiles His Rejectors (vv. 31–35)
Having described the spiritual problem of the Pharisees and legal experts, Jesus went on to depict the perversity of his detractors:
Y dijo el Señor: ¿A qué, pues, compararé los hombres de esta generación, y a qué son semejantes? Semejantes son a los muchachos sentados en la plaza, que dan voces unos a otros y dicen: Os tocamos flauta, y no bailasteis; os endechamos, y no llorasteis. Porque vino Juan el Bautista, que ni comía pan ni bebía vino, y decís: Demonio tiene. Vino el Hijo del Hombre, que come y bebe, y decís: Este es un hombre comilón y bebedor de vino, amigo de publicanos y de pecadores.
Lucas 7:31–34
Jesus quoted a couplet that children shouted to one another when they would not join in games with the others, putting it in the mouths of the Pharisees and lawyers who had directed it at ascetic John and joyful Jesus. First they complained that John did not dance: “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance.” Os tocamos flauta, y no bailasteis Then they complained that Jesus did not weep: “we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.” os endechamos, y no llorasteis There was simply no way to please the religious establishment because imbedded in its self-righteous sufficiency was a deep dislike for heavenly wisdom.
“To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:
‘We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;
os endechamos, y no llorasteis
Os tocamos flauta, y no bailasteis
we sang a dirge,
and you did not cry.’
Reina Valera Revisada (1960). (1998). (). Miami: Sociedades Bı́blicas Unidas. Then they complained that Jesus did not weep: “we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.” There was simply no way to please the religious establishment because imbedded in its self-righteous sufficiency was a deep dislike for heavenly wisdom.
Reina Valera Revisada (1960). (1998). (). Miami: Sociedades Bı́blicas Unidas. There was simply no way to please the religious establishment because imbedded in its self-righteous sufficiency was a deep dislike for heavenly wisdom.
For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ’ ” (vv. 31–34)
Jesus quoted a couplet that children shouted to one another when they would not join in games with the others, putting it in the mouths of the Pharisees and lawyers who had directed it at ascetic John and joyful Jesus. First they complained that John did not dance: “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance.” Then they complained that Jesus did not weep: “we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.” There was simply no way to please the religious establishment because imbedded in its self-righteous sufficiency was a deep dislike for heavenly wisdom.
They demonized John:
Porque vino Juan el Bautista, que ni comía pan ni bebía vino, y decís: Demonio tiene.
His asceticism and insistence upon repentance was evidence of a deranged mind, they said. Then they scandalized Jesus:
Vino el Hijo del Hombre, que come y bebe, y decís: Este es un hombre comilón y bebedor de vino, amigo de publicanos y de pecadores.
Lucas 7:34
This was a scathing rejection because the description resembles that of the unruly son in who had to be stoned.
“For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon’ ” (v. 33). His asceticism and insistence upon repentance was evidence of a deranged mind, they said. Then they scandalized Jesus: “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners” ’ ” (v. 34). This was a scathing rejection because the description resembles that of the unruly son in who had to be stoned. They were calling Jesus a sinner and apostate.
y dirán a los ancianos de la ciudad: Este nuestro hijo es contumaz y rebelde, no obedece a nuestra voz; es glotón y borracho. Entonces todos los hombres de su ciudad lo apedrearán, y morirá; así quitarás el mal de en medio de ti, y todo Israel oirá, y temerá.
“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners” ’ ” (v. 34). This was a scathing rejection because the description resembles that of the unruly son in who had to be stoned. They were calling Jesus a sinner and apostate.
They were calling Jesus a sinner and apostate.
They were calling Jesus a sinner and apostate.
Such perversity! And sadly, their tribe lives on. Some will find fault no matter what. “You’re too serious. Lighten up!” “You’re too ‘Pollyanna.’ Get real!” One sermon is “too doctrinal,” and the next one is “too illiterate.” The church is “too gushy and saccharine.” Then it is “too condemning.” Christians are “too dull,” or they are “too frivolous.” Ultimately, such people want God to dance to their tune. Nothing will please the heart that feels no sin.
But what a grace it is to feel your need. What a grace it is to stand still as you mourn your sins with a dirge, confessing them to God and repenting—and then to dance to the music of Heaven’s free grace.
Closing Reflections
The analysis (the spiritual autopsy) of the unbelieving religious establishment that Jesus offered in verses 31–34 was gloomy indeed. But verse 35 brings a smile:
Mas la sabiduría es justificada por todos sus hijos.
The divine wisdom that Jesus sent to John has been vindicated in the experience of her children.
“But wisdom is proved right by her children.” The divine wisdom that Jesus sent to John has been vindicated in the experience of her children.
Personally, I know that the messages of John and Jesus are true because of what Jesus has done in my life. My experience of real forgiveness from real guilt perpetually testifies to my soul. The life of Christ within me animates all my waking moments. My interaction with the Word of God testifies that it is divine.
Divine wisdom has undoubtedly been proved right by your experience too. And the outworking of God’s wisdom in your life is a powerful and tantalizing testimony to a cynical world.
Many unbelievers have seen the truth in the lives of their Christian friends. Because divine wisdom has been “proved right by her children,” men and women must abandon any delusions of self-sufficiency or innate goodness. They must stop looking for a god small enough to allow them to pretend that their imperfect righteousness is okay. They must stop looking for a salvation that is small enough to be earned.
Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke: that you may know the truth (pp. 267–274). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
The major issues of this text are John’s relationship to Jesus and questions about ministry style and response. At a theological level, the subordination of John to Jesus is most obvious. What is surprising is the subordination of the prophet John to any who belong to the kingdom (v. 28). That is to say, a distinct break in God’s plan of salvation came with Jesus’ arrival (16:16). The blessing of those in the kingdom is greater than anything a prophet of the old era could bring to the table.
This observation is significant, because often we feel that the prophets of old had all the advantages. We think how great it would have been to be with Moses, Isaiah, or John the Baptist. How wonderful to see God “really” work. But this passage indicates that anyone who truly knows Jesus has greater blessings. Those Old Testament prophets would love to experience what we as believers have (). It is easy to take our blessings for granted. The resources we have are so great. Just think, we have the Spirit of God within us and within our communities. We possess a forgiveness that is complete because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross. They are greater than the more temporary, individualized bestowals of the old era. Paul underscores that the ministry of the current era has a new and greater depth than that of the past (). God has given the church all the gifts we need to be effective in ministry, provided everyone does his or her part (; ; ).
Jesus’ ministry is one of substance, not mere claims. Even when John asked him directly about his identity, Jesus’ only response was to point to his works. The Savior refused to trumpet his claims far and wide. In an era where advertising often calls on us to boast our accomplishments and our record of service, Jesus presents a different perspective. Claims are a dime a dozen, but in-depth ministry speaks volumes. Jesus simply let John deduce who he was on the basis of his works. They indicate that Jesus is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. Our ministries should have similar substance that points the way to its origin.
Jesus is again the central issue for Luke. All the other applications are irrelevant if one has not responded to him. As Jesus told John, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”
The value of John’s struggle should not be missed. Here is a man of God needing reassurance that Jesus is truly the one he anticipated. We sometimes think that the great saints never doubted. In doing so, we deny that they were normal human beings. The Scripture is honest and open about such struggles and doubts, just as the Christian community today should be. The way to deal with them is to express them, as John did. However, with the expression of doubt should be an open and receptive ear prepared to hear the answer. The difference between healthy doubt and destructive doubt is not the uttering of uncertainty but the response that follows it. The laments of the Psalter teach us that saints can be brutally honest on how they feel about God, but they also teach us that after they share their complaint with the Lord, they humbly await his reply. Disappointment often calls us to a deeper, less self-focused walk with God.
The response to tax collectors and sinnners also suggests that we can anticipate being surprised at who might respond to the gospel. In fact, some of those we might least expect will respond. This is why we can never anticipate whom God might bring to himself through us. We must be ready to share the gospel with anyone, even with those who at first may seem impossible cases.
The differences in style also contribute to this emphasis. One of my best friends and I came to the Lord in very different ways. I was brought to the Lord in a low-key evangelistic style over a five-year period. My friend did not hear the gospel until he was in college and came to the Lord within a few weeks of hearing the gospel for the first time. He was impacted by a confrontational style of evangelism that had turned me off. We often laugh at the different means God used to bring us to himself. I needed a long, slow process; he needed to be whacked by a two-by-four! The differences in John’s and Jesus’ style remind us that different people are reached in different ways.
We also learn something here about those who reject Jesus. The parable of the brats indicates how superficially pious people sometimes want God to approach them on their own terms. They want God to respond to their music, rather than follow God’s tune. People are often uncomfortable responding to God’s call that they must come to him, recognizing their need for his grace and forgiveness. Do we ask God to serve us? Or do we serve him? The passage ultimately makes it clear that Jesus is the only way. The blessing of being greater than a prophet comes only from following his call to enter into God’s grace and to dance to the music of the divine musician.
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (pp. 214–216). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.