Luke 7:24
And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
After John's messengers had left, Christ began to speak in sympathy for John shut in prison, to keep the people from thinking God had forsaken him or his faith had failed under trial. By asking what they went into the wilderness to see, He probed their motive for flocking to hear John, for the wilderness was not the place to find one dressed in soft, rich clothing like those in royal palaces, and the wind-shaken reed meant the tall reeds beside the Jordan bending before every breeze. John was no wavering, pliable reed moved by praise or prejudice, but firm as a rock in loyalty to God and faithfulness to principle in prison as in the wilderness. The crowds had heard his fearless rebuke of sin addressed to Pharisees and Sadducees, Herod and his court, soldiers, publicans and peasants alike, and his plain, self-denying preaching brought many sinners to repentance while the proud who rejected it rejected God's purpose. The trembling reed pictures instability of character, warning against being swayed like it by changing circumstances or led by others for lack of firm principle.
Setting and Imagery
When the messengers of John had departed, Christ began his testimony about John, speaking while John was a prisoner for heralding Christ's kingdom. It was spoken out of sympathy for John shut in the dungeon, to keep the people from thinking that God had forsaken John or that John's faith had failed under trial. John had been first in heralding Christ's kingdom and was first also in suffering.
He had been taken from the free air of the wilderness and the throngs that hung on his words and shut in a dungeon cell in the fortress of Herod Antipas. Herod had feared John as a just and holy man and heard him gladly, but John faithfully denounced Herod's unlawful alliance with Herodias, his brother's wife. Herodias took revenge by inducing Herod to cast John into prison.
By asking what they went out into the wilderness to see, Christ probed their motive for flocking out to hear John's preaching. The wilderness was not where they would expect to find one living delicately or dressed in rich, soft clothing like that worn in royal palaces. The shaken reed means the tall reeds beside the Jordan bending before every breeze. They picture the rabbis who criticized and judged John's mission, swayed this way and that by popular opinion, refusing to humble themselves to receive his heart-searching message yet fearing the people too much to openly oppose him.
John's plain, rough garment, possessing no beauty but answering the practical purpose for which clothing was first designed, stood in marked contrast to the gorgeous apparel of the Jewish priests and elders with their costly robes and dazzling breastplates. Christ wanted the people to observe the contrast. John made no display, while the priests and elders were more anxious to win human admiration by splendor of dress than to obtain the spotless purity of character and holiness of life that would gain God's approval.
John's Steadfast Witness
John was no wavering, pliable, easily swayed man, no reed trembling before human praise or prejudice, and of no craven spirit. In the dungeon he remained the same as in the wilderness, unchanged in loyalty to God and zeal for righteousness. He stood firm as a rock in faithfulness to principle.
The crowds around had heard his fearless and plain rebuke of sin spoken to all alike, to self-righteous Pharisees and priestly Sadducees, to King Herod and his court, to princes and soldiers, and to publicans and peasants. His faithful testimony against Herod's unlawful marriage cost him his life. That outcome shows that those who reprove wrongdoing may be hated for it.
He was a prophet, and more than a prophet, appointed to prepare the way for Christ and not to seek luxury and comfort. The people's interest in him was strong and their hopes that he himself was the Messiah ran high, so it was vital for him to turn their eyes to the Coming One. His clear, self-denying preaching brought many sinners, even publicans and harlots, to repentance. Those who accepted his message thereby acknowledged the purpose of God, while the Pharisees and lawyers by rejecting it rejected that purpose. God-given testimonies pierce the sinful heart, bringing life to those who heed them and death to those who refuse them.
Call to Steadfast Character
The trembling reed bent before the wind is a picture of instability. Those whose religion is practical keep their character under changing circumstances, under any circumstance, and are not unstable or swayed like that wind-shaken reed.
Applied to character, the same image describes young people who have been controlled without learning to think and judge for themselves, so that they lack confidence and are easily led by others. A character without firm principle is like that reed when the guidance that has held it in place is removed.
Education should prepare young people to act steadily and wisely and independently for themselves, not make their minds and wills dependent on another person. A child guided by the experienced judgment of parents and teachers, and taught to understand why their counsel is worth heeding, can develop a character that is not wavering but firm and principled. One so formed by learning to respect and heed sound counsel will not prove unstable when going out on his own.