31 Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 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.’ 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” ~ Luke 7:31-35
In today's text, the Lord Jesus uses an illustration to identify those who did not believe in Him and thus plotted to kill Him. These people, for the most part, had acknowledged that John the Baptist was a prophet who was the forerunner announcing the arrival of Messiah. But, as we saw in v.30, the religious leaders rejected God's definition for themselves, not having been baptized by John. What started out as a revival quickly disintegrating and the people rejected the Lord Jesus. Their problem was a weak understanding of their sinfulness and of their need for a Savior. They never "proved right" the claims of the Lord Jesus.
John Owen once said: "He who has a slight view of sin has never had a great view or great thoughts of God." If we don't think our sin is all that bad, we will not think that we need God. In order for the "good news" to be the "good news" it must be opposed by the "bad news" which is our hopelessness apart from the Lord Jesus.
Seeing all of this, the Lord Jesus says in v.31, "To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?" The Lord Jesus' assessment of the people is yet another attempt to open their eyes to the truth. He likens them to spoiled children who refuse to believe. And, because they were self-righteous, they thought they had, by their keeping of the law and the traditions, entered into a state of pleasing God, and therefore they were not sinful. They believed they were not headed for judgment, they didn't need to repent and they certainly didn't need to be baptized with some Gentile baptism that was used for Gentiles coming into Judaism.
Then the Lord Jesus uses an illustration to describe those to whom He speaks. In v.32 He said, "They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry." The Lord Jesus provides a picture of children celebrating. Music is being played, and people didn't dance. A dirge is being played and no one cried. The picture is that of the message brought forth by John the Baptist. These people were like spoiled children who were unwilling to be moved in their hearts by John's strong message of repentance.
In v.33-34, the Lord Jesus provides the application of the illustration in v.32. John came blowing the minor key, playing a dirge. His ministry was judgment, fire, wrath, and vengeance. His preaching was designed to make his hearers embrace the brokenness that comes over their sinful condition.
John the Baptist came eating no bread and drinking no wine. He didn't engage in normal life. John was totally disconnected. He couldn't eat what they ate. He couldn't drink what they drank. If his diet was bugs and honey and water, he would not be able to engage himself in the normal life of the people around him. He disdained normal, common, everyday provisions. He didn't eat bread, he didn't drink wine. He lived a life of self-denial in every way. He didn't look like everybody else, nor did he live like everybody else. He didn't talk like everybody else.
The people concluded of John the Baptist, “You say he has a demon." But, before this, the people said that he was the true prophet of God, the voice of one crying in the wilderness. The conclusion about John the Baptist of the religious leaders was not informed by the Scriptures. Their conclusion was due to their hardened hearts. They were hardened because they had rejected God's diagnosis of their true condition.
In v.34 we read, "The Son of Man has come..." The Lord Jesus refers to Himself by a title of the Messiah drawn out of Daniel 7:13, which was His most common way of referring to Himself. In fact, Luke refers to the Lord Jesus as "the Son of Man" twenty five times. The term "Son of Man" has the double meaning of human being and exalted heavenly one.
A study of the term "Son of Man" in the Gospels enables us to see that He didn't refer to Himself most often as Son of God but as Son of Man. The Lord Jesus was very subtle in that He was always opening his identity to those with eyes to see, but He wasn't opening it so blatantly that everybody would come and make Him king. He had to steer a very narrow course in disclosing His identity, not just openly saying, "I'm the Messiah."
The Lord Jesus was quiet and subtle. And He would make claims that were explicit in certain settings and implicit in others. And only when the time was right, mainly when He was on trial for His life, and they said, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the living God?," did He say, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man coming with great power and glory."
While John was preaching judgment, the Lord Jesus was emphasizing the kingdom. And, John associated with nobody while the Lord Jesus associated with everybody. Because John associated with nobody they said he's demonic. Because the Lord Jesus associated with the sinners, they called the Lord Jesus "a glutton and a drunkard."
In v.35 we are given a conclusion, "But wisdom is proved right by all her children." The wisdom of revelation leads to salvation. Salvation wisdom is vindicated by what it can produce. The spiritual children of John the Baptist were the ones with the most wisdom for they heard what John had to say and they responded to the invitation of God to enter into eternal life.
The Lord Jesus compared His generation to people who were childish, not childlike. He was mostly referring to the religious leaders, but He includes the common folk, as well. When we want to avoid the truth about ourselves we can always find something in the preacher to criticize. This is one way we justify ourselves. But God’s wisdom is not frustrated by these deflecting arguments. This is demonstrated in the changed lives of those who believe. This is how true wisdom is “proved right.”
