Luke 7:18-35

Christian Standard Bible

In Praise of John the Baptist

¹⁸ Then John’s disciples told him about all these things.^(A) So John summoned two of his disciples ¹⁹ and sent them to the Lord, asking, “Are you the one^(B) who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

²⁰ When the men reached him, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”

²¹ At that time Jesus healed many people of diseases,^(C) afflictions, and evil spirits,^(D) and he granted sight to many blind people.^{(E) 22} He replied to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy^[a] are cleansed, the deaf hear,^(F) the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news,^{(G) 23} and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”

²⁴ After John’s messengers left, he began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind? ²⁵ What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? See, those who are splendidly dressed and live in luxury are in royal palaces. ²⁶ What then did you go out to see? A prophet?^(H) Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is the one about whom it is written:

²⁸ I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John,^[c] but the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

²⁹ (And when all the people, including the tax collectors, heard this, they acknowledged God’s way of righteousness, because they had been baptized with John’s baptism.^{(J) 30} But since the Pharisees and experts in the law^(K) had not been baptized by him, they rejected the plan of God for themselves.^(L))

An Unresponsive Generation

³¹ “To what then should I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to each other:

³³ For John the Baptist did not come eating bread or drinking wine,^(M) and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’^{(N) 35} Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”