Luke 7:29-50

Wisdom and Her Children

Jesus said that wisdom is proved right by all her children. What does that mean? First of all consider what “wisdom” means. In 1 Corinthians 12 we are told that the Holy Spirit can give a word of knowledge and/or a word of wisdom. The difference is simple. Knowledge is knowing a fact. For example, I may know that Jesus s coming back tomorrow. That is a useful piece of information but it doesn’t tell me what, if anything, I should do about it. If I know that I should call Mary and tell her that Jesus will come back tomorrow, that is wisdom. Wisdom is knowing what to do in a situation.

Jesus made this statement right after pointing out to “this generation” that it was not possible to act in such a way as to please them. (It is a good thing that Jesus only tried to please the Father instead of people.) John was austere and they called him possessed. Jesus flowed easily like a regular person and He wasn’t “holy” enough for them. If you seek to demonstrate wisdom by winning the approval of people you have got it totally wrong.

It is no coincidence that the very next story is an example of this very truth. Jesus is at dinner with a Pharisee. A sinful woman comes in and weeps and lavishes the purest love she had ever known on Jesus. Simon knows that she is sinful. He knows it can’t be right to let a sinful woman touch you. (Can it?) And he concludes (wrongly) that Jesus cannot be legit. He thinks he knows a lot of things but what he knows is no substitute for wisdom.

She knows that she is sinful and Jesus is not. Therefore, she cleans His feet with her tears, wipes them with her hair, kisses them and anoints them with perfume. And in so doing she proves to be one of wisdom’s children. For she did what was right.