Wisdom is often counter-intuitive. It is not what seems sensible to many. Yet, true wisdom will be advantageous in the end. “True wisdom” because there is also “wisdom of this world” that is futile (1 Corinthians 3:18–20).
Jesus made the proverbial statement, “Wisdom is justified by all her children” (Luke 7:35) in connection with the different approaches that He and John the Baptist used.
“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 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” (Matthew 11:18, 19).
Conventional wisdom misrepresented and criticized both approaches. Yet God used John to bring thousands to repentance and He used Jesus to bring salvation to the world.
Some people are never satisfied. When Jesus testified to the greatness of John the Baptist, “The tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him” (Luke 7:28–30).
Then the Lord said: “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? 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.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by all her children” (Luke 7:31–35).
Different preachers in our time use different approaches. We should not criticize them if the truth is being preached in love.
God’s word will accomplish God’s purposes: “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
Several years ago, when 200 radio sermons by V. E. Howard were placed on the Internet, a brother suggested to the elders of his congregation that they might be useful in their teaching and evangelistic program. They replied that they did not like his approach and were afraid it would drive people away.
Well, with his approach, brother Howard baptized more than 8,000 people during his lifetime. Wisdom is justified by her children.
While driving late at night, I had heard a few of brother Howard’s broadcasts on the radio. While preparing them for Internet publication, I was blessed by listening to 200 of them! He had a special ability to make complicated topics easy to understand. Wisdom is justified by her children. He was known for his question to emphasize a Scripture or a point: “Are you listening?” You will benefit from listening to his lessons! https://www.vehoward.net
Herselt, Belgium