Luke 7:24

Luk_7:24-27

What went ye out into the wilderness for to see?

--

Three questions

Why did our Lord select these figures rather than others?

I. Our Lords three questions RECALL THE WRY SCENE, THE PECULIAR FORM, AND THE ANIMATING SPIRIT OF THE BAPTISTS MINISTRY.

1. The first would recall, to the listening crowd, Jordan, with its reedy, wind-swept banks--the strong rapid stream, by which they had listened to the prophets call, and in which they had been plunged for the remission of their sins.

2. The second would recall the asceticism of the Baptist, the rude simplicity of his garb, the rustic fare with which he was content.

3. The third would recall the fervour and inspiration with which he spoke, whom all men confessed to be a prophet indeed, and the profound impression he had made upon their light, fluctuating hearts.

II. We may take these questions as SETTING FORTH THE BAPTISTS RELATIONS TO MAN, TO SELF, TO GOD.

1. John was no reed to be shaken by the breath of popular applause. He delivered his rebukes with fearlessness.

2. Severe to others, he was also severe to himself. He might have dwelt in kings houses, yet he made the desert his home. A preacher of temperance, he carried his own temperance to asceticism.

3. Severe in the demands he made on men, still more severe in his demands on himself; he devoted himself wholly to the will and service of God. In his relation to God he proved himself a true prophet, yea, and very much more than a prophet, a man of God who was not disobedient to the word of the Lord.

III. We may take these questions as ADDRESSED TO THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTS, THE WISHES AND HOPES, OF THE CROWD WHO LISTENED TO THEM. What did you want and expect to find? Did you not covertly hope that, as John became popular, he would bend before the popular currents of thought and aim? And yet, could this have been your expectation and your hope? Had you wanted a courtier who would speak smooth things to you, would you not have gone to the palace for him? But, whatever drew you into the wilderness, whatever you thought or hoped, did not you find a prophet? As you listened to him, did not you find that life grew large and solemn? (S. Cox, D. D.)

Sight-seers

Thrice, in as many minutes, our Lord demands of the multitude, What went ye out to see? Here was their error: professing concern to know the will of God, to prepare themselves for His service and kingdom, they were bent on sights, on spectacles, on indulging their curiosity and love of the marvellous. They went out not to hear a prophet, but to see a prophet; not to imitate the temperance and abstinence of the Baptist, but to gaze on a man who could prefer camels hair to soft clothing; not to feel the Divine regenerating mind of the Spirit, but to gape at the reed which shook and trembled in it. And this is the error against which we must guard. We are not to be over-much concerned with the spectacular, the external, the marvellous in religion, but to fix our thoughts and affections on its interior and eternal realities. (S. Cox, D. D.)

The unshaken prophet

The form into which Christ in this passage throws His view of the character of John the Baptist illustrates more than the symbolic method of His teaching. One sees in the choice of a natural object like the reed shaking in the wind in order to form a contrast to the unshaken temper of the Baptist, the same love of symbolism which led Him in His parables to make the ordinary things of Nature and of human nature images of the relations and laws of the spiritual kingdom. In the case of the parables, symbolism is deliberately used for the purpose of instruction. In the case before us it is used, as it were, unconsciously, and it reveals the natural way in which His mind united the world of Nature to the world of Man. When the image of the Baptist rose before Him--stern, uncompromising, fixed in moral strength, and with it the Jordan bank where first He met him, and the baptismal hour when He stood in the flowing river--He remembered the reeds as they shook in impotent vacillation in the wind, clasped the two images together in vivid contrast, and said, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind in the stream of the Jordan? nay, a rock, deep-rooted, firm, removable.

I. EVERYTHING WE KNOW OF THE BAPTIST CONFIRMS THIS VIEW He learnt concentration of will in the solitary life of the desert. With the unshaken firmness which Christ saw as a root in his character, he accepted his position at once and for ever. Not one step did be take beyond his mission, though he must have seen to some distance beyond it. Never for a moment did he cease to point to Another away from himself. Iris as noble a piece of self-renunciation as history affords, and it was unshaken. Though a hundred temptations beset him to do so, he never allowed his teaching to step beyond the limits of its special work. He met his death because he was no reed to be shaken by the promises of a wicked king.

II. AND NOW TO MAKE THIS REAL TO OURSELVES.

1. Fidelity to our vocation in life.

2. The sinking of self in religious work.

3. The being unshaken in our truth and right, both in act and speech, against worldly influences when they are evil; and even When they are not evil in themselves, when they make us weak and vacillating. (Stopford A. Brooke, M. A.)

The Christian ministry

I. IT IS NOT A LINE OF PRIESTS. The principle of the priesthood rests upon a truth, the mediatorial power which man exercises over man. The apostles were in a sense mediators, and so far priests. But the prophecy of old was taken up joyfully by the apostles as the richest tune in the mediatorial kingdom, when the last offices of the priesthood should be taken away, when they should no longer teach every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for all should know Him, from the least even unto the greatest. This, then, is the spiritual priesthood. But the priestly system-1. Removes God from the soul, whereas God is ever near.

2. Degrades humanity, for its language tells us not of the affinity of man to God, but of the immense distance between the two.

3. Produces a slavish worship. Pass on to consider what the ministry is.

II. IT IS PROPHETICAL, not priestly. We greatly mistake if we think that the office of the prophet was simply to predict future events.

1. It was the office of the prophet to teach eternal truths. Johns only prediction was, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

2. All the most sublime passages in the Bible are from the writings of the prophets. The priestly writings were but temporary.

3. The difference between the prophet and the priest was that it was the office of the prophet to counteract the priestly office. Bring no more vain oblations, &c. Wash you, make you clean.

III. THE MINISTRY OF OUR BLESSED LORD HIMSELF, HERE ON EARTH, WAS PROPHETICAL AND NOT PRIESTLY. I lay a stress on that expression here on earth, because unquestionably He is a priest in heaven above. The high priesthood of the Son of Man is spoken of in the Hebrews. There it is denied on earth, but asserted to be in heaven. For if He were on earth, He should not be a priest; in other words, there is a priesthood now, but no earthly priesthood. In conclusion, I notice two points which seem to favour the notion of a priesthood:--

1. Absolution. Unquestionably, there is a power of absolution in the ministry of the Church of Christ, but it is the power of the prophet and not of the priest.

2. Apostolical succession. There is such a thing; but it is a succession of prophets and not of priests, a succession never extinct or broken. (F. W. Robertson, M. A.)

Good and bad ends in attending ministrations

I. WE OUGHT ALWAYS TO HAVE AN END IN VIEW IN ATTENDING THE MINISTRATIONS OF THE SANCTUARY.

1. It is due to ourselves.

2. It is due to God.

3. It is due to the occasion.

II. THERE ARE SOME ENDS WE OUGHT NOT TO PROPOSE TO OURSELVES.

1. The gratification of curiosity.

2. The exercise of a critical and censorious spirit.

3. The improvement of our social position.

4. The pacifying of our conscience.

III. THERE ARE SOME ENDS THAT SHOULD ALWAYS BE PRESENT TO OUR THOUGHTS.

1. Conversion.

2. Instruction.

3. Impression.

4. The diffusion of the gospel. (G. Brooks.)

A reed shaken by the wind

The ordinary interpretation of this expression has been this: Did you suppose that John was one of the weaklings of this world, a mere courtier with delicate words and flowing robes, who would be tremulously seeking popular approval, who would turn and trim in order to secure favour, now one thing and now another, like a rush shivering in the breeze? But lately, a new suggestion has been made by one who was born in Palestine, and who has been educated in the Greek language. He says that shepherd-boys often shelter them selves among the tall grass, and while away the hours of hot sunshine by playing on their native flutes; hence one frequently almost stumbles upon such a musician by the rivers or along the hillsides. So soft is the tone of the feeble instrument that it appears effeminate, and might well be the symbol of a gentle sweetness of entertainment without vigour or force. So here the exposition may be somewhat like this-- Did ye come down here beside the Jordan to hear a timid little flute-player, a reed blown with ones breath? (C. S. Robinson, D. D.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

§ 40.—JESUS’S REFLECTIONS ON THIS APPEAL TO HIS MIGHTY WORKS, Luk_7:24-36.

(See notes on Mat_11:20-30.)

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

CHAPTER 22.

JOHN THE BAPTIST THE GREATEST PROPHET

Mat 11:7-15, & Luk 7:24-30. “And the messengers of John having gone away, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?” Well did the multitude remember the thrilling scenes two years ago, when they all left their employments and went away to hear the wonderful prophet of the wilderness; and the waving of the tall reeds growing in the rich alluvial soil on Jordan’s bank, moved by the sighing zephyrs, hither and thither, were vivid in their memories. Those reeds are there now, fifteen feet high. My comrades, a few days ago, brought away some of them as souvenirs. “But what went ye out to see? A man clothed in soft raiments? Behold, those who are in gaudy and soft apparel are in king’s houses.” No, they never went to see a royal dude or a leader of the hon tons. A great man of the world could never have attracted that multitude, away into the wilderness, to run a camp-meeting six solid months. He was the very opposite, dressed like a tramp, and living like a soldier who proposed to conquer or die. “But what went ye out to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it has been written, Behold, I send My messenger before Thee, who will prepare Thy way before Thee. Mal 3:1 For I say unto you, That among those who have been born of women, no prophet is greater than John; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” That John the Baptist was a transcendent intellectualist and climacterically spiritual, actually filled with the Holy Ghost from his infancy, the greatest of the prophets and peerless in his dispensation, no one can call in question; yet the smallest saint in the Pentecostal age is dispensationally greater than John, the prince of prophets, and even more than a prophet, as he was the precursor of our Lord. While the Bible is preeminently spiritual, yet it is the most intellectual Book in the world, exhibiting many specimens of the highest mental culture the ages have produced, among those who have given themselves world-wide notoriety as hornines unhts libri, “men of one book.” Our Savior frequently indulges in terse, enigmatical statements of truth, in order to sharpen our wits, develop our intellects, and superinduce profound and exhaustive research. If John the Baptist were living now, he would be the sensation of the world, as he was in his day; yet, dispensationally, he lived and died under the Law. Hence all the sons of gospel grace stand on a plane superior and more luminous, and richer in privileges and opportunities, than the brightest and the best enjoyed under the old covenant. “And all the people hearing, and the publicans justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John; but the Pharisees and theologians rejected the counsel of God against themselves, not having been baptized by him.” While the rank and the of the Jewish nation, and especially the poor, were melted and convicted by the preaching of John, gladly receiving baptism at his hands, the Pharisees (i.e., the influential and official members of the Church) and the lawyers — Greek, nomikoi, from nomos, “law;” i.e., the law of Moses — who were the learned exponents of the Old Testament Scriptures, and not lawyers in the modern sense, but theologians (i.e., the learned preachers), took gross offense at the stern rebuke of John, calling them “generation of vipers,” and demanding of them satisfactory evidence of repentance, and consequently they were not baptized by him. (Mat 3:7.)

William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 7:24-30 . Encomium on the Baptist .

Luk 7:24 . τί : if we take τί = what, the question will be: what went ye out to see? and the answer: “a reed, etc.”; if = why, it will be: why went ye out? and the answer: “to see a reed, etc.” ἐξεληλύθατε (T. R.): this reading, as different from Mt. ( ἐξήλθατε ), has a measure of probability and is adopted by Tischendorf, here and in Luk 7:25-26 . But against this J. Weiss emphasises the fact that the “emendators” were fond of perfects. The aorists seem more appropriate to the connection as containing a reference to a past event, the visit of the persons addressed to the scene of John’s ministry.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2 d. Luk 7:24-35. The Discourse of Jesus.

Jesus had a debt to discharge. John had borne striking testimony to Him; He avails Himself of this occasion to pay public homage in His turn to His forerunner. He would not allow this opportunity to pass without doing it, because there was a strict solidarity between John’s mission and His own. This discourse of Jesus concerning John is, as it were, the funeral oration of the latter; for he was put to death soon after. Jesus begins by declaring the importance of John’s appearing (Luk 7:24-28); he next speaks of the influence exerted by his ministry (Luk 7:29-30); lastly, He describes the conduct of the people under these two great divine calls

John’s ministry and His own (Luk 7:31-35). The same general order is found in Mat 11:1, Luk 7:7-11; Luke 2 d, Luk 7:12-15; Luke 3 d, Luk 7:16-20.

Vers. 24-28. The Importance of John’s Appearing.—“And when the messengers of John were departed, He began to speak unto the people concerning John: What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 25. But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live aelicately, are in kings’ courts. 26. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 27. This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before Thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee. 28. For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women, there is not a greater [prophet] than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”— ῎Ερξατο, He began to, as Luk 4:21; this term intimates the solemnity of the discourse which it introduces. The people themselves, by crowding to the baptism of John, showed that they recognised him as an extraordinary person; and they were right. Is the reed shaken by the wind an emblem here of moral instability? The meaning in this case would be: “Yes, John is really as vacillating as a reed” (Ewald); or else: “No, you must not draw this conclusion from what has just taken place” (Meyer, Neander, Bleek). But this reed shaken by the wind may be regarded simply as the emblem of something of ordinary, every-day occurrence. “It was not certainly to behold something which may be seen every day that you flocked to the desert.” The verb ἐξελθεῖν, to go out, expresses the great commotion caused by such a pilrimage. The perf. ἐξεληλύθατε signifies: “What impression have you retained from what you went to see?” whilst the aor. (Alex.) would signify: “What motive induced you to go...?” Tischendorf acknowledges that the perf. is the true reading. The aor. is taken from Matthew. — The verb θεάσασθαι depends on ἐξεληλύθατε, and must not be joined to the following proposition: they went out in search of a spectacle. This expression reminds us of the saying of Jesus (Joh 5:35): “John was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.”

In any case, therefore, John is something great—the popular opinion is not deceived here. But there are two kinds of greatness—earthly greatness, and heavenly. Of which is John’s? If it had been, Jesus continues, of an earthly nature, John would not have dwelt in a wilderness, but in a palace. His greatness, therefore, was of a divine order. But, according to Jewish opinion, all greatness of this kind consists in a prophetic mission. Hence the conclusion at which the people arrived respecting John, which Jesus begins by confirming, “Yea, I say unto you;” and then going beyond this, and more than a prophet. Is it not greater, indeed, to be the subject of prediction than to predict—to figure, in the picture of the Messianic times, as a person foreseen by the prophets, than oneself to hold the prophetic glass? This is why John is more than a prophet: his appearing is a γεγραμμένον, an event written.

The quotation from Mal 3:1 is found in the three Syn.; in Matthew, in the parallel passage (Luk 11:10); in Mark (Mar 1:2), at the opening of the Gospel, but with this difference, that he omits the words, before Thee. On the ἐγώ, I (after ἰδού), the various readings do not permit us to pronounce. This general agreement is remarkable; for the quotation is identical neither with the Hebrew text nor with the LXX. Neither Malachi nor the LXX. have the words, before my face, in the proposition; but in the second, the former says, before me, and the latter, before my face. Further, the LXX. read ἐξαποστέλλω instead of ἀποστέλλω, and ἐμβλέψεται instead of κατασκευάσει. This might be an argument in favour of a common written source, or of the use of one of the Syn. by the rest; but it would not be decisive. For, 1. If the common source is the Proto-Mark, how could Mark himself place this quotation in quite a different context? 2. If it is the Logia, why does Mark, instead of simply copying it, omit the words, before Thee? 3. It would be just the same if Mark copied one of the other Syn. 4. Neither do these copy Mark, which does not contain the discourse. The coincidences in the Syn. must therefore be explained in a different way. The substitution in Luke and Matthew of before Thee for before me (in Malachi), results from the way in which Jesus Himself had cited this passage. In the prophet’s view, He who was sending, and He before whom the way was to be prepared, were one and the same person, Jehovah. Hence the before me in Malachi. But for Jesus, who, in speaking of Himself, never confounds Himself with the Father, a distinction became necessary. It is not Jehovah who speaks of Himself, but Jehovah speaking to Jesus; hence the form before Thee. From which evidence, does it not follow from this quotation that, in the prophet’s idea, as well as in that of Jesus, Messiah’s appearing is the appearing of Jehovah? (See Gess, pp. 39, 40.) As to the other expressions in common, Weizsäcker correctly explains them by saying that, since “this quotation belonged to the Messianic demonstration in habitual use,” it acquired in this way the fixed form under which we find it in our Syn.

The for, Luk 7:28, refers to the words, of whom it is written. The person whose lot it has been to be mentioned along with the Messiah, must be of no ordinary distinction. The T. R., with the Byz. Mjj., reads: “I say unto you, that among them which are born of woman, there hath arisen no greater prophet than John the Baptist.” The Alex. omit the word prophet, and rightly; for there is tautology. Is not every prophet born of woman? The superiority of John over all other theocratic and human appearances, refers not to his personal worth, but to his position and work. Did his inward life surpass that of Abraham, Elijah, etc....? Jesus does not say it did. But his mission is higher than theirs. And nevertheless, Jesus adds, the ancient order of things and the new are separated by such a gulph, that the least in the latter has a higher position than John himself. The weakest disciple has a more spiritual intuition of divine things than the forerunner. He enjoys in Jesus the dignity of a son, while John is only a servant. The least believer is one with this Son whom John announces. It does not follow from this, that this believer is more faithful than John. John may be further advanced on his line, but none the less for that the line of the believer is higher than his. There is an element of a higher life in the one, which is wanting in the other. This reflection is added by Jesus not with a view to depreciate John, but to explain and excuse the unstedfastness of his faith, the σκανδαλίζεσθαι (Luk 7:23). Several of the ancients understood by the least Jesus Christ, as being either John’s junior, or, for the time, even less illustrious than he. The only way of supporting this interpretation would be to refer the words, in the kingdom of God, to is greater, which is evidently forced.

We have given to the comparative, less, a superlative meaning, least. Meyer, pressing the idea of the comparative, gives this explanation: “he who, in the new era, has a position relatively less lofty than that which John had in the old.” This meaning is far-fetched; Mat 18:1 shows us how the sense of the comparative becomes superlative: he who is greater [than the other]; whence: the greatest of all. Comp. also Luk 9:48. — This saying, the authenticity of which is beyond suspicion, shows how fully conscious Jesus was of introducing a principle of life superior to the most exalted element in Judaism.

Frédéric Louis Godet — Commentaries on Luke, John, Romans, and 1 Corinthians — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1870s–1890s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That which the Prophets showed long before, John showeth at hand: and Christ himself doth present it daily unto us, in the Gospel, but for the most part in vain, for that many seek nothing else, but foolish toys and vain glory.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

(24-35) And when the messengers of John were departed.—See Notes on Mat_11:7-19. The two narratives agree very closely. The few variations will be noticed as they occur.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

24. when the messengers of John were departed] We notice here the exquisite tenderness of our Lord. He would not suffer the multitudes who had heard the question of John to cherish one depreciatory thought of the Baptist; and yet he suffers the messengers to depart, lest, while hearing the grand eulogy of their Master, they should be pained by its concluding words. It is natural to suppose that the two disciples carried back to John some private message of peace and consolation.

A reed] John was not like the reeds which they had seen waving in the wind on the banks of Jordan, but rather, as Lange says, ‘a cedar half uprooted by the storm.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But what went ye out for to see?.... What led your curiosity to go into the wilderness after him, since it could not be any of the above things? was it to see

a prophet? which was the case; for John was a prophet, and was known to be one; and the fame of him, as such, drew vast numbers to see and hear him, there not having been a prophet among the Jews, for some hundreds of years:

yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet; not that he was the prophet Moses did say should come; nor was he the priest that should arise with the "Urim" and "Thummim", that the "Tirshatha", Nehemiah spoke of; nor was he the king Messiah; but he was his forerunner, he saw him and baptized him, and so was greater than any of the prophets that went before him.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

See Poole on "Mat 11:7", and following verses to Mat 11:15, where we met with this testimony concerning John, given by our Saviour, with some considerable enlargements.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John. When the messengers of John were departed, the Lord, fearful lest the people who had been standing by and listening to the question which the Baptist had put, and his answer, should entertain any disparaging thought of a great and sorely tried saint of God, spoke the following noble testimony concerning that true, faithful witness. It has been termed the funeral oration of John; for not long after it had been spoken he was put to death by Herod Antipas. What went ye out into the wilderness for to see a reed shaken with the wind? The imagery was taken from the scenery in the midst of which John the Baptist had principally exercised his ministry the reedy banks of Jordan. It was surely to see an everyday sight a weak vacillating man blown to and fro with every wind. John, though his faith failed him for a moment perhaps, was no wavering reed.

Vers. 24-28. Christ"s estimate of John; character and privilege.

It is pleasant to think that, immediately after John had intimated his doubt respecting the Christ, our Lord spoke in terms of unmeasured confidence concerning John. His language is strong and somewhat paradoxical, but it admits of a simple explanation. His-first reference to John affirms

I HIS SUPERIORITY IN RESPECT OF CHARACTER. The nobility of John"s character has already been illustrated (see Lu 3). Its most marked features were:

1. His cheerful acceptance of privation; living on in the wilderness with nothing to gratify taste, and barely sufficient to sustain life, though his popularity as a teacher and prophet would have enabled him to make a very different provision for himself,

2. His incorruptible fidelity to the work committed to his charge (Luk_3:15, Luk_3:16)

3. His fearless, holy courage a courage which was based on a sense of God"s nearness to him and his Divine faithfulness toward him; a courage manifested in public, (Luk_3:7-9) and, what is more and what is worthier, shown in private also in an interview with one strong man who held his earthly destiny in his hand. (Luk_3:19)

4. His rare magnanimity. Not merely accepting without resentment the fact that he was to be supplanted by another, but going beyond that point in spiritual excellence, and positively rejoicing in the elevation of that other Teacher; stepping down and giving place gladly to one younger but greater than himself. (Joh_3:29) We are not surprised that he who knew what was in man," who knew the strength and the weakness of our human nature, said concerning John, "Among those that are born of women," etc. (ver. 28).

II HIS INFERIORITY IN RESPECT OF PRIVILEGE. "But he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." We must take the word "greater" as signifying more privileged: it will not bear any other meaning. Most assuredly Jesus did not mean to say that the man who, being within his kingdom, was lowest in moral worth, stood higher in the favour of God than John. Such a sentiment is quite inconceivable, perfectly incredible. But our Lord may very well have meant that any one, however humble his position in the kingdom of grace, who yet stands within that kingdom, of which John stood outside, has a distinct advantage over the great prophet. To know what we, with all our obscurity and incapacity, do know; to understand and enter into, as we may do, the glorious purpose of God in Jesus Christ; to comprehend that, by that death of shame upon the cross, the Redeemer of the world is drawing all men unto him; and not only to understand all this, but to enter into it by a personal, living sympathy and co-operation; this is to stand on a height to which even John, though he came in sight of it, (Joh_1:36) did not attain.

1. We are the children of privilege; we are "the heirs of all the ages" of thought, of revealed truth. If we will read reverently, and inquire diligently and devoutly, we may know the mind of God concerning us as the greatest of all the prophets did not know it.

2. Let us take care that we are the children of God; returned from the far country of estrangement and indifference; dwelling in the home of the Father"s favour; walking with God daily; finding a filial joy in doing and bearing his holy will; entering by sympathy and effort into his holy purpose. C.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

When the messengers were departed - He did not speak the following things in the hearing of John's disciples, lest he should seem to flatter John, or to compliment him into an adherence to his former testimony. To avoid all suspicion of this kind, he deferred his commendation of him, till the messengers were gone; and then delivered it to the people, to prevent all imaginations, as if John were wavering in his judgment, and had sent the two disciples for his own, rather than their satisfaction.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

were departed

Having gently removed His servant’s doubt, the Lord bears witness to him before others: He knows when to reprove, and where, and when, to praise.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Christ’s testimony concerning John:

v. 24. And when the messengers of John were departed, He began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

v. 25. But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously appareled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts.

v. 26. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.

v. 27. This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face which shall prepare Thy way before Thee.

See Mat 11:7-15. The Lord took this opportunity to bear witness to John and his ministry. The happenings of that time were so recent that they were still fresh in the memory. He put the question to the whole multitude, since many of them, undoubtedly, had been among those that were drawn by the reputation and by the powerful sermons of John. Had they gone out into the wilderness to see a reed agitated and swayed by the wind? John had not been a weather vane in his preaching, 2Ti 4:2-5. He had spoken the truth in a most uncompromising way, regardless of the fact that the great ones of the earth may have felt offended. Had they gone out into the wilderness to find a man clothed in soft garments? There is a place for such people; they may be found among those that live in the houses of kings. There those living in luxury and clothed with splendid apparel properly belonged. But John was a poor preacher of repentance. The luxuries of life had no appeal for him; he spurned the delicate side of wealth. Note: There is a fine hint in both references of the Lord for him that will read aright. But now came the main question: Had they gone out to see a prophet? Then indeed they had not been disappointed. For John was a prophet, and greater than the prophets of old. Of him it had been prophesied that he should be a messenger before the face of the Messiah, to prepare the way before Him, Mal 3:1.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Our Saviour having given, as we may suppose, full satisfaction to John’s disciples and sent them away, he enters upon a large commendation of John himself.

Where we have observable, 1. The persons whom he commended John before: not his own disciples, but before the multitude; for John’s disciples had too high an opinion of their master already, insomuch, that they envied our Saviour for overshadowing their master: Joh 7:26

Behold Christ baptizeth, and all men come unto him. It was a great eye-sore to John’s disciples, that Christ had more hearers and followers than their master; therefore not before John’s disciples, but before the multitude, is John commended: for as John’s disciples had too high, so the multitude had too low, an opinion of John; possibly because of his imprisonment and sufferings. There was a time when the people had high thoughts of John’s person and ministry; but being now clouded with sufferings, they disesteem and undervalue him.

Learn hence, how vain it is for any men, but especially for the ministers of the gospel, to value themselves by popular applause. The people condemn today whom they admired yesterday; he who today is cried up, tomorrow is trodden down; the word and ministers are the same, but this proceeds from the fickleness and inconsistency of the people: nothing is so mutable as the mind of man; nothing so variable as the opinion of the multitude.

Observe, 2. The time when our Saviour thus commended John; when he was cast into prison by Herod. Not when he was in prosperity, when the people flocked after him, when he preached at court, and was reverenced by Herod; but when the giddy multitude had forsaken him; when he was disgraced at court, and had preached himself into a prison; now it is that Christ proclaims his worth, maintains his honor, and tells the people that the world was not worthy of such a preacher.

Learn hence, that Christ will evermore stand by, and stick fast unto, his faithful ministers, when all the world forsakes them. Let the world slight and despise them at their pleasure; yet Christ will maintain their honor, and support their cause; as they bear a faithful witness to Christ, so Christ will bear witness to their faithfulness for him.

Observe, 3. The commendation itself. Our Saviour commends John for four things! For his constancy, for his sobriety, for his humility, for gospel ministry.

1. For his constancy: he was not a reed shaken with the wind; that is, a man of an unstable and unsettled judgment, but fixed and steady.

2. For his sobriety, austerity, and high degree of mortification and self-denial: He was no delicate, voluptous person, but grave, sober, and severe. He was mortified to the glory and honor, to the ease and pleasure, of the world: John wrought no miracles, but his conversation was almost miraculous, and as effectual as miracles to prevail upon the people.

3. For his humility: John might once have been what he would, the people were ready to cry him up for the Messiah, the Christ of God: but John’s humble and lowly spirit refuses all: He confessed, and denied not, saying, I am not the Christ, but a poor minister of his willing, but not worthy, to do him the meanest service. This will commend our ministry to the consciences of our people; when we seek not our own glory, but the glory of Christ.

4. Our Saviour commends John for his clear preaching the gospel, and for his making known the coming of the Messiah to the people: He was more than a prophet, because he pointed out Christ more clearly and fully than any of the prophets before him. The ancient prophets beheld Christ afar off, but John saw him face to face. They prophesied of him, he pointed at him, saying, This is he. The clearer any ministry is in discovering of Christ, the more excellent and useful it is.

William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Connecting Statement:

Jesus begins to speak to the crowd about John the Baptist. He asks rhetorical questions to lead them to think about what John the Baptist is really like.

What ... A reed shaken by the wind?

This expects a negative answer. "Did you go out to see a reed shaken by the wind? Of course not!" It can also be written as a statement. AT: "Surely you did not go out to see a reed being shaken by the wind!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

A reed shaken by the wind

Possible meanings of this metaphor are 1) a person who easily changes his mind, as reeds are easily moved by the wind, or 2) a person who talks a lot but does not say anything important, as reeds rattle when the wind blows. (See: Metaphor)

But what ... A man dressed in soft clothes?

This also expects a negative answer, since John wore rough garments. "Did you go out to see a man dressed in soft clothes? Of course not!" This can also be written as a statement. AT: You certainly did not go out to see a man dressed in soft clothes!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

dressed in soft clothes

This refers to expensive clothing. Normal clothing was rough. AT: "wearing expensive clothing" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

kings' palaces

A palace is a large, expensive house that a king lives in.

But what ... A prophet?

This leads to a positive answer. "Did you go out to see a prophet? Of course you did!" This can also be written as a statement. AT: "But you actually went out to see a prophet!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

Yes, I say to you

Jesus says this to emphasize the importance of what he will say next.

more than a prophet

This phrase means that John was indeed a prophet, but that he was even greater than a typical prophet. AT: "not just an ordinary prophet" or "much more important than a normal prophet"

translationWords

messenger

John (the Baptist)

desert

reed

king

palace

prophet

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

24. ἀπελθόντων. We notice here the exquisite tenderness of our Lord. He would not suffer the multitudes who had heard the question of John to cherish one depreciatory thought of the Baptist; and yet he suffers the messengers to depart, lest, while hearing the grand eulogy of their Master, they should be pained by His concluding words. It is natural to suppose that the two disciples carried back to John some private message of peace and consolation.

ἤρξατο. The word introduces solemn and important remarks, as in Luk 4:21. The word is specially common in St Mark and St Luke; less so in St Matthew; St John does not use it in this phrase at all.

θεάσασθαι, ‘to gaze upon.’

κάλαμον. John was not like the reeds which they had seen waving in the wind on the banks of Jordan, but rather, as Lange says, ‘a cedar half uprooted by the storm.’

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

24-28.] See Matt.

29,

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

24. περὶ Ἰωάνου. This is further evidence that the question and ewer just recorded concerned John himself. The people had heard Jesus send a rebuke to the Baptist. But He forthwith guards them from supposing that John has ceased to be worthy of reverence. He waits till his disciples are gone; because if they had heard and reported Christ’s praise of John to their master, it might have cancelled the effect of the rebuke. This panegyric is almost the funeral oration of the Baptist; for soon after this he was put to death. For ἤρξατο see on 4:21.

Τί ἐξήλθατε. In each of the three questions it is possible to put the note of interrogation before the infinitive, and render, “Why went ye out? to behold?” etc. But the order of the words favours me usual punctuation. Perhaps θεάσασθαι implies “behold” with wonder and admiration.

κὰλαμον…σαλευόμενον. The literal meaning makes excellent sense: “Did you go out into the wilderness to admire what you would certainly find there, but which would have no interest or attraction? Or did you go out to see what would no doubt have been interesting and attractive, but which you were not likely to find there?” But it also makes good sense to interpret, “Had John been a weak and fickle person, you would not have made a pilgrimage to see him.”

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To see [θεασασθαι] . Rev. is correct but awkward, to behold. The verb implies steadfast, intent gazing. See on Mt 11:7.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.