Jesus’ Testimony to John

Today's Reflections

 
                         

Jesus’ Testimony to John

Lk 7:31-35

[Jesus said to the crowds,] ³¹“Then to what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? ³²They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another,/ ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance./ We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’/ ³³For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ ³⁴The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ ³⁵But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

A friend of tax collectors and sinners. Earlier in Luke’s gospel, at the call of the tax collector Levi, Jesus declared, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners” (5:31-32). From the beginning Jesus has made his mission clear, that he is going to be in the company of tax collectors and sinners, of paralytics and lepers, to bring them back into God’s loving embrace.

But Jesus’ style of table fellowship of “eating and drinking” (v 34) has become the subject of childish criticism by some people, especially the Sadducees and Pharisees. They accuse Jesus of guilt by association. Surprisingly, not even the rigid asceticism of John appeals to them, and they consider the prophet possessed by a demon. The religious leaders reject both Jesus and John with their differing styles because neither of them dances to their tune.

In a way, we are no different from tax collectors and sinners. We should be thankful that Jesus is a friend of sinners. Getting into his company makes us regard fellow sinners with compassion rather than condemnation.

People who do not see themselves as sinners look down on others and criticize the Church. They blame God or want God to dance to their tune, which is completely out of sync with God’s voice. Just like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, they insist on getting their way, calling the shots, and being in charge.

“The national anthem of hell is ‘I did it my way.’ ” Do you agree with this statement?