Wisdom is justified by her children

 "But to what shall I liken this generation?   It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying:

'We played the flue for you,
And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
And you did not lament.'

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

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:  "Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

- Matthew 11:16-24

Yesterday, we read that as the disciples of John the Baptist departed (they had come to ask Christ on John's behalf if He is the Coming One -- the Messiah -- as John is in prison; in Monday's reading), Jesus began to say 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 wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'  Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 "But to what shall I liken this generation?   It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying:  'We played the flue for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not lament.'  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by her children."  Jesus' quotation references a game played among Jewish children in which they would divide into two groups.  One pretended to play musical instruments or sing, and the others would respond in a way opposite to what would have been expected, either dancing or mourning.  Jesus is drawing a parallel to the Jewish leadership and their responses to both John the Baptist and Himself.  John the Baptist they criticized as too ascetic, and Jesus is criticized for being too liberal in mercy and joy ("a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners" -- see this reading).   That wisdom is justified by her children is an important statement regarding our assumptions about holiness:  the Spirit works as it will, and those who do God's work in the world justify wisdom by their fruits.  Holiness is ever-creative and manifests myriad forms, coming from the Source of life itself; neither is it contained by our assumptions or reasoning (Isaiah 55:8).

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:  "Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."  My study bible says here that it is a far greater sin to have seen Christ's works and rejected Him than never to have known Him at all.  This conveys an important understanding about testimony and its effects; it is never made in a vacuum.

What does it mean to be blind to holiness, goodness, wisdom?  It is a mistake to assume that good works are simply done only for those who'll be interested in them.  A true testimony is, in effect, an act of God.  One moved by the Spirit or through whom the Holy Spirit works is not acting alone, nor in a manner that is simply characterized by personal choice and therefore not pertinent to others.  Every holy act, every gift, is given in community.  This even extends to personal prayer if it is true and pure.  When we choose to live as a part of this Kingdom, it makes an impact -- perhaps unseen -- in the community of the world.   It is a kind of energy that is at work in the world, and it is the energy of love and mercy manifest, even when its effects are in some sense shocking or disturbing.  Jesus uses the examples of Himself and John the Baptist.  John scandalized with his asceticism; he lived in the wilderness, wore clothing from the skins of camels, and lived purely for God, seeking no kind of worldly comfort but for that love alone.  Jesus eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners, giving scandal by His love for those who need Him as physician, and His joy at being with them, as friends of the Bridegroom.  But wisdom is justified not only by the ministries of both John and Jesus, but by all her children who are to come.  It should be noted that in Greek, the word for wisdom is feminine:  sophia.  Moreover, the word here translated as children literally means "works."   Therefore we understand that the works to which Jesus refers, and the children He cites, are those "works" inspired by the Spirit in those who love God.  Through participation in the Kingdom, they are this mutual love manifest.  The condemnation of rejection therefore really comes from a rejection of God, and this is why such works are never done in a vacuum.  Rather, it calls us to account, whether or not we like it.  Holiness touches on the deepest part of ourselves.  It calls to the heart.  It a call is from our Creator.  We can choose to ignore or remain in a place of ignorance or lack of understanding, but we never leave the business of what it is to be a human person created in the image and likeness of God, nor the joy contained in the life God offers to each of us in love.