Luke 7:33 “”For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say,`He has a demon.”    John was the wild-eyed prophet type. He had no concern for people’s considerations of what was socially acceptable. As Elijah of old, he could stand before kings only because he was so outlandish and unique…

Luke 7:32 “”They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:`We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not weep.”    Jesus here uses the illustration of children playing ‘grown-ups’ in their market place haunts. He paints a picture of…

Luke 7:31 “And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?”    The translation of this verse sounds a bit repetitious. I would translate Jesus thus: “To what then will I compare the men of this generation, and what do they resemble?” By this…

Luke 7:30 “But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.”    And why not? Why were harlots and tax collectors baptized while the spiritual leaders of the Jews were not? Was it just that they did not go to John? Did they simply shun him?…

Luke 7:29 “And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.” Even those who in the Jewish mind of the day were the lowest of the low, John was a prophet. Make no mistake, though Jesus was born in a manger, and though…

Luke 7:28 “For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”    Only Jesus would know how to say something so flattering about someone else and yet bring great glory…

Luke 7:27 “This is he of whom it is written:`Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’”    This quote comes from Malachi chapter 3, verse 1. It is important to do your homework when you are trying to learn from Jesus. Our Lord is not interested in…

Luke 7:26 “But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.”    Jesus here confirms that John the Baptist was indeed a prophet. He was to be included in the long line of God’s men who had spoken to the people of the Messiah.…

Luke 7:25 “But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts.”    Jesus does not here mean to say that a prophet cannot live in a king’s court. Daniel, Joseph, and Nehemiah were great men of…

Luke 7:24 “When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?”    John the Baptist was not one influenced by his time, but who influenced his time. He brought a great change…