Luke 7:35 “But wisdom is justified by all her children.”
It’s a lot of fun sometimes to take sayings in the Bible and other older literature and put a newer spin on them. Jesus was here likely using a ‘figure of speech’, though not a really crazy one as it is fairly direct. The meaning is readily apparent, and I would maybe say ‘the proof is in the pudding’ as a good substitute. No matter how you choose to say it, Jesus is really being pretty loud with the Jewish leaders here. They couldn’t help but get the force of His words. They were not children of wisdom, and Jesus and John were.
Jesus loved to say things in a slightly indirect way and make His hearers think about what He actually meant. But, this doesn’t mean Jesus wasn’t bold. He didn’t hide behind the way He said things. This passage about John and Himself is a perfect example of that. If He needed to, He could excoriate, upbraid, and instruct in a very direct manner. And the leadership of the Jews was often the brunt of that.
Why though? Doesn’t it seem that the Lord in His earthly ministry was harder on the religious elite than on the ‘sinners’ that He ministered to? Well, don’t we find that case throughout Scripture? Those who have the truth and disobey anyway are always by the Lord judged by a higher standard. And this is so because the Lord holds His ministers accountable. The message of the gospel is a precious thing, and the ministry is holy. The Lord will not allow His people to fall into disrepair, but will keep them in good shape.
Heavenly Father, thank You for reaching out to humanity. If You had chosen to shun us, what hope could we have? If You had decided not to save us, we would be no more. Without You we are nothing. Quite literally our very existence is dependent upon You, as are all things. Many dislike the idea of You being the Master and us being Your slaves, but really that is just imagery in and of itself. The reality goes much farther. We are beings completely at Your pleasure. You not only own us, but it is by Your power that we live, move, and have our being. We cannot be apart from You allowing us to be. We are no more than expressions of Your delight and activity, for You are All in All. Only You may say when asked Your identity, “I AM” – the rest of us are just ‘I am at His pleasure’ in that we cannot be of ourselves. I love You dear Father, may I live this life to help humanity understand You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.