But 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 flute 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 

 

On Saturday, we read that as the disciples of John the Baptist departed (they had come to ask if Jesus were the Coming One as John was now imprisoned), 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 flute 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 is referencing a game played by Jewish children at the time.  They would divide into two groups.  One group would pretend either to play musical instruments (for dancing) or to sing (for lamenting).  The other group would respond in a way opposite to what was expected.  Jesus draws a parallel, my study Bible explains, to the Jewish leaders who responded wickedly both to John the Baptist -- as being too ascetic ("He has a demon"), and to Christ -- as being too liberal in mercy and joy ("a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners").  

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 comments that it is a far greater sin to have seen Christ's works and rejected Him than never to have known Him at all.

Jesus points out the criticism -- in opposite directions -- of the religious leaders regarding John the Baptist and Himself.  One (John) is too ascetic in his fasting and discipline, and the other (Jesus) is too liberal in joy and mercy.  "But," He says, "wisdom is justified by her children."  This means that regardless of their criticisms of the different ministries of John and of Jesus, the fruits of those ministries justify the wisdom that was working through them, and establish the good they do.  Those fruits, my study Bible says, are those who would come to faith through them, the "children" to whom Jesus refers.  Actually, in Matthew's Gospel, the Greek original means "works," not children.  In Luke's Gospel, however, it literally uses a Greek word that means "children" (Luke 7:35).  But, at any rate, the metaphor remains.  It's similar to Jesus' statement that a tree is known by its fruit (Luke 6:43-45).   It's very important that we understand the role of the saints in the entire history of the Church.  And let us keep in mind that this includes people who lived before Christ, such as Moses and Elijah who appeared with Christ to Peter, and John and James Zebedee at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8).   The great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1-3), the whole communion of saints, is made of strong-minded individuals, each with dynamic characters, and all of whom manifest a unique image in fulfillment of their call to serve God.  That is, the work of God, through them, manifests through each what appears to be an entirely powerful unique image of a human being.  And yet, like St. John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, the children of the wisdom at work in them and in their lives is justification of such work, whatever it might be.  We can begin with the one considered from the earliest times of the Church to be the greatest of the saints, the Virgin Mary.  Although she does not appear a lot in Scripture, we know from early documents the veneration in which she was already held from the beginning of the early Church.  Her character may not be one that is "front and center" in the same way that John the Baptist cut a powerful universal holy figure for his time, but nevertheless, she is the one who told the servants at the wedding at Cana, "Whatever He says to you, do it" (John 2:5).  Without argument, without further discussion, she simply told the servants to be ready, and it comes to us from her deliberate but understated request that the first sign of John's Gospel was that of Christ turning the water to wine (John 2:1-11).  It really doesn't matter that she is not outspoken in the sense of obvious attention from all and sundry, it doesn't matter that she does not frequently put in an appearance in the Scriptures.  It does not matter that she was female, nor does it matter that she was not a named apostle.  But her unshakeable confidence in God and in God's work, through all things ("Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word" - Luke 1:26-38), makes her revered as a saint first and foremost in the Church.  And, we should keep in mind, this is in addition to the experience of countless faithful through the centuries who have found comfort, love, mercy, and so much more in praying with her.  As Jesus says, "Wisdom is justified by her children."  It matters not which saints we look at, from which century, or even which denomination of the Church to which we belong, Jesus' statement holds true.  The saints are as variable as the uncontainable mystery and creativity of God can make human beings, with more such unique beings to come through long into the future, but each one is justified by wisdom's children.  Let us keep this in mind when we try to quantify or circumscribe or second guess the work of God, lest we court a judgment upon ourselves.