od, being not baptized of him. 31 Whereunto then shall
I liken the men of this generation, and to what are they like? 32
They are like unto children that sit in the marketplace, and call
one to another; who say, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance;
we wailed, and ye did not weep. 33 For John the Baptist is came
eating no bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a demon. 34
The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold, a
gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and
sinners! 35 And wisdom is justified of all her children.

Due to the darkness of his dungeon or to the long delay of Jesus in
fulfilling his cherished hopes, the mind of John the Baptist became
clouded with doubt and he sent messengers to Jesus to ask whether or not
he was really the Messiah whom John had declared him to be, "Art thou he
that cometh, or look we for another?" John had not lost faith in God or in
his promises; he believed that if Jesus were not the Messiah, the Messiah
was still to come.

The Master lovingly reassured his great herald by sending back the report
of the mighty works which he was accomplishing. John was already familiar
with these acts but the recital must have dispelled his fears. Jesus
sympathizes with us also in our hours of darkness, but his relief usually
consists in reminding us of facts we already know concerning his power and
love and presence and the truths of his written Word.

Jesus, however, does not praise us for our doubts; he sent to John a
gentle and loving rebuke: "And blessed is he, whosoever shall find no
occasion of stumbling in me." This benediction he pronounces upon all who
in spite of darkness, imprisonment, delay, and mystery still confidently
put their trust in him.

It was upon this occasion when John seems to have failed that Jesus
pronounced upon him unparalleled praise, declaring that "among them that
are born of women there is none greater than John." He vindicated this
deliberate judgment and thereby, showed wherein true greatness lies. He
spoke first of the character of John and then of his career. He praised
the man and then the messenger. He described his moral and then his
official greatness.

His expression as to the character of John is voiced by two questions, to
each of which a negative answer of course must be given: first, "What went
ye out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind?" Surely
true