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True Wisdom Produces A Bountiful Harvest

How do we know if someone is wise? What are the criteria we use to judge wisdom? If words alone make people wise, then this world should be in far better shape than it is. Words alone are not enough for it is easy to say anything. True wisdom is judged by the actions that flow from those words: the fruit it produces. True wisdom produces a bountiful harvest. As this second week of Advent nears its close, let us ask God to give us the gift of wisdom: wisdom that transforms the world.

Jesus Praises John the Baptist

“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places and calling to their playmates, ‘We piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ 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, ‘Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” Matthew 11 : 16-19

Scriptural Analysis

The phrase this generation appears to be harmless, referring to the people who are alive at the time Jesus spoke these words. However, when this phrase is used in the Bible, it refers to a generation that is unfaithful. It harkens to the faithless generation of Noah or the faithless generation of Israel that was denied entrance into the promised land, “Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land which I swore to give to your fathers.” (Deuteronomy 1:35)

Jesus then uses phraseology that would refer to life in Palestine. Custom had it that among children, boys would invite their companions to dance at weddings. Girls would sing laments at funerals and invite their friends to mourn. The sounding of the flute refers to the call of Jesus who refers to himself as the bridegroom. The wailing represents the witness of John, the call of Israel to repent. Those refusing to join in are those who refused to listen to John’s call to repent or listen to Jesus’s invitation.

John lived in the wild and survived on food found there. He engaged in no celebratory feasting which is what is meant by the phrase, came neither eating nor drinking. He also did not drink wine. Therefore, many thought he was strange and even possessed by a daemon.

Jesus, on the other hand, went to dinner parties in order to bring his message to where the people were. Some called him a glutton or a drunkard for doing this, “he is a glutton and a drunkard.” (Deuteronomy 21:20) In the end it really did not matter what John or Jesus did as nothing could please this faithless generation. They turned their backs on the wisdom of the Messiah and his forerunner.

Daily Application

This passage from Matthew has for us a couple of key points. First, it reveals a truth of human nature. If we do not want to accept the truth that someone is speaking, we will find any excuse imaginable for dismissing it. Consider what happened in this Gospel passage. The people criticized John for not partying enough and criticized Jesus for partying too much. In other words, nothing was going to make them happy because if they could not find fault in the behavior of John and Jesus then they would need to actually listen to and confront their message: a message that told them to repent of their sinful ways and turn their heart toward God. Instead of changing it was easier to dismiss the messenger.

Are we much different? Frequently we find any fault we can with the Church or with its pastors. That can become the excuse that we use for ignoring their message. If you want proof look no further than the state of the American culture. Abortion is still very much available, our immigration system is a mess, and children are exposed to transgender ideologies from a variety of directions. These are all issues that the Church has spoken on definitively and yet many Catholics ignore her sighting a lack of credibility based upon the errors of the flawed humans that are part of the Church. We dismiss the truth rather than change.

The second key point of this passage is the final statement, “Wisdom is justified by her deeds.” Wisdom is known, through action. This is ultimately how one can judge if someone is truly wise: how do they act and what are the fruits of their actions? John the Baptist was criticized for his isolation and his ascetic lifestyle but he was able to move people to repentance in a way that had not happened for the Jewish people for centuries. Jesus was criticized for dining with sinners but he moved people to conversion. The fruit of their actions speaks for itself, speaks for their wisdom.

How do we judge wisdom? It is easy to get caught up in the presentation style of someone: in the production value of their message. It is equally as easy to get caught up in the message itself: the promises and platitudes that are in the presentation. However, what do those promises and platitudes lead to? What are the actions of those who have listened to them? In an American culture that is become more extreme and less Christian, we are starting to see the fruits and they are rotten. A good guide always remains the Beatitudes. How well are the Beatitudes being realized in society and in our individual actions?

The search for wisdom, for truth, is a search everyone engages in. That is because truth, ultimately, is found only in God and our hearts remain restless until they find God. There are many who claim to be wise, to have the truth. Look at the fruits of their words and let that be your judge. In doing so you will realize that the only words that produce a bountiful harvest are the words of everlasting life, the words of Jesus. As we near the last two weeks of Advent let us continue to listen to his words and allow them to penetrate our hearts so that we too may be wise.

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