Childish Generation. Luke 7:31-35.
Pastor Nam Park.
Luke 7:31 “To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? 32 They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ 33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35 Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
There is a difference between "childlike" and "childish."
This generation is demanding others to fit into their description of religion.
It's a spiritual brattiness of the religious leaders: Neither John the Baptist nor Jesus fit their mold. They had expectations so unbendable to the mold they created.
Luke 7:33 For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’
- John didn't eat bread because bread was baked in cities; he lived in the rough wilderness.
- John didn't drink wine because of his Nazarite vow. Sampson was also a Nazarite. However, the power that Sampson had was not in his hair, rather his power remained in the Nazarite vow that he kept before the Lord.
- John lived by personal conviction.
- Pharisees originally thought much of John the Baptist but then called him crazy when he didn't bend to them aka "didn't dance when they played the flute."
Luke 7:34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
- "Son of Man" was Jesus' favorite term for Himself. He was the go-between of God and man.
- There is a parallel here with "eating" and "drinking" to suggest that whatever John did, Jesus did the opposite. John was known for being in the wilderness apart from all. Jesus was known for hanging out with people at weddings. People loved to be with Jesus. Yet although John the Baptist was too "serious" and Jesus was too "fun," they both preached the same message. THUS, if you believed John's message, you would take Jesus as Messiah. And likewise, if you believed Jesus, you took John as the forerunner.
- The Pharisees decided to reject both John and Jesus. There was no satisfying these religious brats.
Luke 7:35 Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
- Ultimately, the proof is in the pudding.
- It's not about fitting into a mold.
- It's about transformed lives. This is the gospel.
The spiritual leaders didn't have a problem of lack of understanding. They were so self-centered in their idea of religion.
Jesus will be willing to forgive you, but you must come to Him on His terms.
Pray that we will be Christ-like and not childish.
