Luke 7:29-35
"And all the people that heard him, and the publicans justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced: we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking: and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! But wisdom is justified of all her children," Luke 7:29-35.
Before John the Baptist was born, it had been four hundred years since God had sent a prophet to the nation of Israel. This is known as the four hundred silent years. They still had the Scriptures, but they were under the authority of multiple different nations. You can read about these times unto and just past A.D. 70 from the historian Flavius Josephus, who was also an eyewitness of the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. These historical facts are very interesting, especially in light of the prophecies Jesus gave regarding the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in Matthew 24. Again, until the birth of John the Baptist, the nation of Israel had not had a prophet sent from God for four hundred years. What did they do with the prophets that God did send them? Turn to Matthew 23:37-39. Who were some of the prophets that were killed by their own people? Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Micah, etc. were all killed by their own people. Their crime, simply proclaiming truth. "A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" Jeremiah 5:30-31 (Jeremiah 23:9-32, Isaiah 56:9-12). The people killed those proclaiming truth (Jeremiah 17:9), but they loved the false prophets, which means they loved lies. "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil," John 3:19.
The religious leaders during the time of John the Baptist were just like the ones alive during the times of the prophets. These religious leaders had much sway over the people, and the people liked it. If you don't rock the boat, no one gets upset. When someone stands and lovingly proclaims truth, it causes conflict inside of people. Truth exposes the heart. Truth rocks the boat. Those who embrace the truth are those whose hearts the Lord has opened. "And a certain woman, named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul," Acts 16:14. God did this same work in Nicodemus, in Paul, and all whom He saves. Let us get into our text in Luke 7:29-35.
In Luke 7:29, those who heard and believed John were baptized by him, and they justified God. "Justified" in this verse is the Greek word "dikaioo" and means by implication, to vindicate, approve, honour, glorify, and in the passive to receive honour. Those who heard and were baptized were giving God the honour and glory. They were praising God.
Keep in mind what we have learned. John was preaching truth, and truth was rocking the boat. While some get upset at the rocking of the boat, others examine themselves. John the Baptist preached hard truths (Luke 3:3-9). John the Baptist preached that the Jews were no better than the Gentiles. The Jews trusted in their traditions and in their lineage. They had made their own way to heaven, but it was taking them straight to hell. They had their minds made up that surely God would accept them because in their eyes they were good people. They were not like those publicans and sinners, and surely not like the Gentiles. But John's message proclaimed that all were in need of the Saviour. Those who submitted to the truth came and were baptized by John. Their baptism signified that they were no better than the Gentiles. "John preached that men should repent of their sins, and believe in Christ, who was to come; and upon their repentance and faith, be baptized; in which ordinance, they might be led to a fresh view of the free and full forgiveness of their sins, through Christ; whose blood was to be shed for many, to obtain it," John Gill.
The sinners which had been excluded by the religious crowds glorified God when they heard John's message, but the pharisees and the lawyers rejected John's message and his baptism (Luke 7:30). They actually hated what John preached. Though they went down to see and hear John, they would not be baptized by John. By their actions they proclaimed they did not need God's way to be saved, they would continue to trust in their own way. They clearly heard the message, but they rejected it. Why? Deep down they had a hatred for the truth. They had their theology mapped out, but the problem is that their theology was not based on the Scriptures. Any time you get outside of the authority of Scripture you will immediately embrace a plethora of heresies.
Jesus Christ again offends the people with the truth in Luke 7:31-32. The religious people have heard the call, but they rejected it. Regardless of the style of the preaching, they rejected the message, and the messenger. Deep down they had a hatred for the truth. They hated the truth, and the ones who proclaimed the truth. They could not find anything in the lifestyle of John the Baptist or Jesus Christ to use to run them down, so they had to resort to name calling and misrepresentation. They had to paint Jesus Christ and John the Baptist as wicked in the eyes of the people. Here again Jesus Christ calls them out (Luke 7:33-34). John the Baptist came separated from society, and remained separated from society through his whole ministry, and they said he had a devil. Jesus Christ came and was approachable to all in society and they said He was a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of the worst people in society. The religious leaders had sway over the people, and this is how they were painting John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. The religious leaders did this because deep down they had a hatred for the truth.
"But wisdom is justified of all her children," Luke 7:35. "Wisdom" in this verse speaks of the divine wisdom as revealed and manifested in Christ and His gospel. In this verse, all whom the Lord saves glorify Him. Those who love the truth love the Lord, but those who hate the truth hate the Lord, and they hate those who preach the truth. We are known by the fruit we produce (Luke 6:43-45). Do you love the truth? Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
