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 their 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, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by all her children."

- Luke 7:18-35

Yesterday we read that when Jesus concluded all His Sermon on the Plain in the hearing of the people (the 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 their 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."   John the Baptist was imprisoned shortly after Jesus was baptized (Mark 1:14).  Although John has directed his disciples to follow Christ (John 1:29-31, 35-37), there are those who have remained with him.  While John's own faith was no doubt strengthened by the signs that Jesus performed, says my study bible, the Fathers universally see this encounter as a means John used to convince his remaining disciples that Jesus was truly the Coming One.   The things Jesus names are those acts identified in the sayings of the prophets of Israel as those forms of grace which will characterize the time of the Messiah (see for example Isaiah 35, 61.

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 Malachi 3:1, tying John as well into the eschatological news of this time of the coming of the Messiah, and the prophesies that foretold the time.  Although John was the greatest prophet, his earthly life and ministry remain in the period of the old covenant.  The new covenant so far surpasses the old that the least in the kingdom is greater than the greatest outside it.  This doesn't imply that John won't be resurrected to the Kingdom, but rather that his earthly life came before something much greater.  Jesus asks the crowd about John with words that hint at the false prophets of old, who lived in palaces in luxury and told kings what they wanted to hear.  "A reed shaken by the wind" is not a mighty prophet driven by the Holy Spirit, but rather a weak man submitting only to the whims of rulers.  The true prophets of Israel are those with whom John may be closely identified by his rigorous life outside of the society and his ascetic way of living, devoted fully to serving God.

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.   The text gives us the paradox of faith, the importance of choice, repentance, and the inner heart -- and the effectiveness of the ministry of preparation and baptism by John.  For comparison to these verses, see Mark 11:27-33.

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, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'"  Jesus refers to a popular game played by children.  The children would divide into two groups:  one group would mime musicians who would play music either for mourning or dancing.  The other group of children responded.  In Jesus' example, they refuse to respond appropriately to the type of music being played.  My study bible tells us that the Pharisees were so rigid in their religion that they were unable to respond and engage the world around them.  They rejected John, therefore, as being too mournful and ascetic, while Christ was rejected as too merciful and joyous.

"But wisdom is justified by all her children."  Although both John and Christ are rejected by the Pharisees, they are both justified, says my study bible -- not by the opinions of people, but rather by their children, those who would come to believe and be faithful.  Children are also an image of works.  This is an echo of Jesus' recent teaching in the Sermon on the Plain, that "every tree is known by its own fruit" (see Thursday's reading.)

Today's reading gives us the perspective of the paradox of holiness, in its juxtaposition of John the Baptist and Jesus.  One is rigorous and extremely ascetic, living in the wilderness, dependent only upon God.  But the other feasts with tax collectors and sinners.  How can they both be holy?  How can they both be holy men of God -- and Jesus even the Messiah?  But when Jesus teaches that wisdom is justified by all her children, then we come to understand a great truth, both about Scripture and the entire nature of holiness and the work of God in the world.  If we take a look at the saints, we see men and women who are anything but seamlessly identical.  Saints are those who in one way or another have distinctive and powerful personalities, even those known for their great humility, who withdrew into deserts not to be seen for decades, who lived for the simplest act of kindness.  Many of them had personalities that others would criticize as full of flaws; none are cookie-cutter perfect.  But wisdom is justified by all her children.  That is another way of saying that by their fruits you shall know them.  Saints are those through whom God works in the world, whose "yes" to God is perhaps most archetypally given in the words of the Theotokos, that is, literally, the God-bearer, the Virgin Mary, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).  Saints are those for whom everything in their lives is geared to hear God's word and to do it, whatever form that may take, however strange it may appear to others, for whom the reliance on God is all-important.   The Gospel teaches us that for each person, this holy road may appear quite different, even contradictory by worldly standards, but it is God's unfolding work in the world that is transcendent, and by whom all are justified.  The word "wisdom" is sophia in the Greek.  It is a feminine word in Greek.  But Wisdom is also the word for the Lord, for Christ Himself, the One who is incarnate as the human Jesus, but who speaks throughout Scripture.  Let us look, as Jesus teaches us, at all the children of wisdom scattered throughout Scripture and throughout history, and come to know their work, their participation in what He offers to us, and join in on that holy road -- His way.