Wisdom is justified by all her children

 Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things.  And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'  And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard:  that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."

When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live  in luxury are in kings' courts.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  This is he of whom it is written:

'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.'

"For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."

And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

'We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
And you did not weep.'

"For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, an you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by all her children."

- Luke 7:18-28,29-30,31-35

Yesterday, we read that when Jesus had concluded His Sermon on the Plain (see readings from Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), He entered Capernaum.  And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.  So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.  And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, "for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."    Then Jesus went with them.  And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.  Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You.  But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.  Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."  Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still.  And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak.  And He presented him to his mother.  Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."  And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

  Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things.  And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'  And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard:  that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  My study bible teaches here that John the Baptist was imprisoned very soon after Jesus was baptized (see Mark 1:14).  Although John had directed his disciples to follow Jesus (John 1:29-31, 35-37), some remained with John.  While his own faith was strengthened by Jesus' signs, Church Fathers view this encounter as a means used by John to convince his remaining disciples that Jesus was the Coming One.  Jesus' response to the question hearkens to a prophecy of Isaiah, denoting the signs of the presence of the Messiah.

When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live  in luxury are in kings' courts.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  This is he of whom it is written:   'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'  For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  Jesus quotes from the prophecy of Malachi (Malachi 3:1) to identify John the Baptist and John's role in Jesus' ministry.  My study bible notes that although John was the greatest prophet, his earthly life and ministry remain a part of the period of the old covenant.  It says that the new covenant so far surpasses the old that the least in the kingdom is greater than the greatest outside of it.  It's not meant to imply that John will not be resurrected to the Kingdom, but only that his life on earth came before something far superior.  We note Jesus' rather fierce protection and defense of the Baptist, and His scathing words to John's critics.

And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.  Who is with Him, and who is against Him?  We see an odd correlation here:  those who have accepted the mercy and ministry of John and Jesus praise God; those who have not reject Christ's ministry and Christ Himself.  It's a kind of affirmation of the power of the new covenant, and a sign of what was lacking or incomplete in the old.

And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:  'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;  We mourned to you, and you did not weep.'  For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, an you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'"   Jesus refers to a children's game of the time.  It was played in two groups.  One group would mimic musicians -- and the other was supposed to respond appropriately to either dancing music or dirges which accompanied mourning.  Here, the children complain because the responding group didn't do so properly.  My study bible says, "The Pharisees were so rigid in their religion that they were unable to respond to and engage the world around them.  Thus, they rejected John as being too mournful and ascetic, and Christ as being too merciful and joyous."

"But wisdom is justified by all her children."  My study bible says that in spite of rejection by the Pharisees, both John and Christ are justified -- not by the opinions of men but rather by their children; that is, those who would come to believe and be faithful.

What we notice in today's reading is Jesus' rather fierce and protective defense of those whom He loves, those who are allied with the Father and within the love of the Father.  The "battle lines" in some sense are being drawn.  We see a problem with the religious leadership, with the Pharisees who align themselves with a set of values seemingly meant merely to criticize, first one (John the Baptist), then the other (Jesus), although the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus widely differ from one another.  Jesus' love extends to a kind of protectiveness of His own, those who are welcoming this new covenant, as well as those who will be its fruits, its children as indicated in the final quotation we read from Jesus about wisdom.  Elsewhere Jesus makes the analogy to Himself of a mother hen, who takes her brood under wings.  In Luke 13:34, Jesus laments, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!" This "fierce, protective" love is always present for those who are connected via the love of the Father, Christ always views each one as children, but this is impossible where this love is rejected.  Christ shares attributes of a mother bird, who gathers her brood under her wings for protection.  But there is a power working through all the things we read that tells us that we are more than a brood always protected under the wings of a mother bird:  we are free beings who are also at liberty to destroy the bonds of love and truth to our "Mother," if you will, and to cause destruction to those who truly love God.  There is no doubt about Christ's love for all of us, including the Pharisees.  But those who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to her do not do so as ignorant children.  They do so as those to whom love has been repeatedly sent, for whom so much has been done, and as those who are free to accept or reject His love.  When we read Jesus' powerful words of love and His defense of John, we have to understand that so much depends on our honoring that love.  It's like a marriage:  marriage is something that is a bond sanctified by God, but on the other hand, we as human beings may take choices that do harm to that bond and destroy it.  Abuse is a very real problem.  Hard-heartedness is a form of terrible destructiveness, so that we may lose even that which we have.  The love of God, like so many of the good things of this world and the gifts we're given, is not something to be abused or destroyed, but respected and cherished.  For those who remain with Him, like the tax collectors who have repented, that bond remains strong and unbreakable.  Luke will give us the parable of the Prodigal Son, letting us know that forgiveness remains for those who return to and recognize that love.   His love for us can transform our lives, give us meaning and value, and make each one of us -- even in our great differences and uniqueness -- an asset, a "living stone" that builds the Church and the Kingdom.  In this, wisdom is justified by all her children.