The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a heavy drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ And yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
Parallel translations
- WEB The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”
- KJV The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
- BSB The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her actions.”
- NKJV The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”
- NLT The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus' free association with sinners drew the opposite slander, yet wisdom is vindicated by its results. Critics rejected both John and Christ on contradictory pretexts.
Overview
Where John was condemned for abstaining, Jesus is condemned for eating and drinking with outcasts, proof that the fault lies in the critics, not the messengers. The friend of 'tax collectors and sinners' reveals God's seeking grace toward the lost. 'Wisdom is justified by her children' means God's wise plan is vindicated by its fruit in transformed lives.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Luke 7:34–36The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drunkard; a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
- Matt 9:10–11As he sat in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples.
- Luke 19:7When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.”
- Luke 15:1–2Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming close to him to hear him.
- Luke 5:29–30Levi made a great feast for him in his house. There was a great crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining with them.
- Luke 14:1When he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching him.
- 1 Cor 1:24–29but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
- Prov 17:24Wisdom is before the face of one who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth.
- Ps 92:5–6How great are your works, Yahweh! Your thoughts are very deep.
- Luke 7:29When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they declared God to be just, having been baptized with John’s baptism.
- John 12:2–8So they made him a supper there. Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with him.
- John 2:2Jesus also was invited, with his disciples, to the marriage.
- Rom 15:2Let each one of us please his neighbor for that which is good, to be building him up.
- Rev 5:11–14I saw, and I heard something like a voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousands of ten thousands, and thousands of thousands;
- Rev 7:12saying, “Amen! Blessing, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might, be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
- Eph 3:8–10To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 11:19 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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