For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
Matthew 11:18 belongs to the lesson of Matthew 11:16-27 that confronts and warns those who have been given great light, precious opportunities, wonderful privileges, and blessings of light and knowledge from God, yet whose spiritual growth and advancement does not correspond to what they have received. As part of that passage it carries pointed rebuke that strikes the heart like arrows from the Lord's quiver and brings confession, brokenness, and forgiveness of wrongs done to others. John's abstemious life and simple habits led his opponents to say he was possessed by a devil.
The people accused John because he called them to repentance and because he denounced their sins and hypocrisy. The charge meant imputing his severe denunciations of sin to satanic inspiration, claiming he was not in his right mind but a poor hypochondriac full of fancies and led by a crazed imagination. The accusation against John was false, and saying it did not make it true.
The false charge was made even though the people had great light and clear evidence of miracle-working power, and even though the Spirit of God had moved their hearts, convicted them of sin, and offered them counsel they rejected. By those words the accusers misused the gift of speech and exposed their rejection of God's messenger, bringing judgment on themselves. The accusation served as a way to dismiss the messenger and ignore his warning, and the same rejection is seen in the accusation that Christ had a devil, both refusals being a refusal to heed heaven-sent reproof.
The same kind of charge that Christ's enemies made against Him was later made against Luther by people who opposed him, despite his calm and courageous bearing.
Matthew 11:18 belongs to the lesson of Matthew 11:16-27 that confronts and warns those who have been given great light, precious opportunities, wonderful privileges, and blessings of light and knowledge from God, yet whose spiritual growth and advancement does not correspond to what they have received. As part of that passage it carries pointed rebuke that strikes the heart like arrows from the Lord's quiver and brings confession, brokenness, and forgiveness of wrongs done to others. John's abstemious life and simple habits led his opponents to say he was possessed by a devil.
The people accused John because he called them to repentance and because he denounced their sins and hypocrisy. The charge meant imputing his severe denunciations of sin to satanic inspiration, claiming he was not in his right mind but a poor hypochondriac full of fancies and led by a crazed imagination. The accusation against John was false, and saying it did not make it true.
The false charge was made even though the people had great light and clear evidence of miracle-working power, and even though the Spirit of God had moved their hearts, convicted them of sin, and offered them counsel they rejected. By those words the accusers misused the gift of speech and exposed their rejection of God's messenger, bringing judgment on themselves. The accusation served as a way to dismiss the messenger and ignore his warning, and the same rejection is seen in the accusation that Christ had a devil, both refusals being a refusal to heed heaven-sent reproof.
The same kind of charge that Christ's enemies made against Him was later made against Luther by people who opposed him, despite his calm and courageous bearing.