Wisdom is vindicated

In Matthew 11:16-19 Jesus used the simple illustration of children playing games to makes a powerful point regarding the people’s response to the gospel. In the game Jesus describes, one group of children played songs and the other children were supposed to respond to them. To the lively joyful songs they were to respond with dancing, and to the slow dirge-like songs they were to respond with morning. But Jesus said that the other children did not respond to either song, just as many of the people had not responded appropriately to either the message of John the Baptist or the message of Jesus.

But not only did the people not respond appropriately, they responded inappropriately. John’s message was one of repentance – a time for serious soul-searching, confession of sin and preparation for new things to come. As a result of the message he was called to preach, John lived an unusual lifestyle – one given to isolation, and much fasting. Completely unaware of the real reason for John’s unusual behavior, some of the people came to the conclusion that anyone who acted that strangely must have a demon!

The message that Jesus preached, on the other hand, revolved entirely around the joyful proclamation that “The kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matthew 12:28) and demonstrating the love and grace of God by eating and drinking with tax-gatherers and sinners. But the people, blinded to what God was doing, completely misread His behavior and many went as far as to accuse him of simply being a glutton and a drunkard.

Ultimately that many of the people did not respond appropriately to the messages of John and Jesus is because they did not have “ears to hear.” (Verse 15) They did not have the spiritual perception to hear what the Spirit of God was saying to them through his chosen and anointed messengers. The sad truth is that this problem is by no means unique to the crowds to whom Jesus was speaking in Mathew 11, being witnesses again and again throughout the Bible. After encouraging, warning and rebuking each of the seven churches in the book of Revelation, Jesus told the people, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the spirit is saying to the church.”

This same principle applies to us today. If we do not have the spiritual discernment to hear what the Spirit of God is saying, then we will almost surely respond inappropriately to both message and messenger. Many people in the church today are eagerly buying books and tapes and listening to sermons and doctrines by their favorite teachers or preachers in order to have their “ears tickled” as Paul said, but they are oblivious to whether or not that message is actually what the Spirit of God is saying to them personally or to the church corporately in that hour. At the same time, there are those who are speaking God’s message faithfully only to be ignored by the crowds.

At the end of this passage (11:19), Jesus stated that, “wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” Unfortunately many people in the church today have the wrong idea of what “deeds” Jesus was referring to. Contrary to popular opinion, it is not how many books a minister sells, how many customers/parishioners attend his church, or how often he speaks on TV that determines if his message is truly what the Spirit is saying to the church. Godless businessmen can and regularly do accomplish such things with nothing more than energy, money, good marketing techniques and the application of time-honored business principles.

Throughout the Bible the true messengers of God speaking God’s message have often been hated, persecuted outcasts from the popular crowd. Not only is popularity not necessarily an indication of success, but in Luke 6:26 Jesus said that popularity can actually be an indication that someone is a false prophet: “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.”

The true proof that a message is truly of God is in the fruit that message produces. But this fruit is not measured in book sales, congregation size, offering amounts, or any such external things, but rather in the degree to which the message results in God’s kingdom coming and his will being done in the people’s lives. Similarly, the proof that a messenger is truly of God cannot be seen in any outward signs either, but in the approval of the Father Himself.

Throughout history there have been many faithful messengers of God who have left this earth despised and rejected by the crowds, with no outward signs of “success” by today’s standards, only to be received by the father with these words, “Well done good and faithful servant!” If you are feeling a bit like this yourself lately, be encouraged – true wisdom will be vindicated!