Question: What does the last sentence mean in this passage? –”The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”” ??Matthew? ?11:19? ?NIV?? but wisdom is proved right by her deeds??
Answered by: Adam Davis, who has been a volunteer with us since February, 2015.
Answer: Hi and thank you for your question.
First, it’s important to know that Jesus Christ was truly man (and yet also truly God). He lived in a common manner for the time and experienced the same kinds of things we do (He went to weddings, feasts, etc.). Second, in the passage, Jesus compares his life – though it seems with some intended interpretation of what the other side thought – with the comparably more ascetic life of John the Baptist, who lived in the desert and ate locusts and honey. So given these, the first thing to note is that Jesus was pointing out that those who ignored His message and confirming miracles were willfully ignorant. They were making excuses as to why they should not listen to the message of John the Baptist, as well as the obvious signs that the Messiah was among them.
Following from here, as far as ‘wisdom being proved by her deeds,’ we should understand this to mean that the results of the ministry of both Jesus and John would be shown in the results – many brought to repentance. Luke 7:35 says “Wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” This passage relates the same story and context as Matthew 11:18-19. Some translations render this passage to mean “wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it,” or “wisdom is proved right by its results.” It seems both of these translations are fairly accurate representations of the textual meaning.
Question: I was asked by someone that before baptism its not good to keep fasting, but my answer to them was ‘You can keep fasting any time’ so you explain me, is it bad to keep fasting before baptism? Please reply. Thank you?
Answered by: Anthony Barbato, who has been a volunteer with us since September, 2011.
Answer: Hello and thanks for your question! I’ll try to be as helpful as possible in giving a Biblical answer. First off, fasting is not a necessary part of baptism. There’s no command in the Bible that says you have to fast before being baptized. It’s also important to note that fasting is not simply starving yourself of food. Basically, it has everything to do with God and little to do with torturing ourselves. Christ rebuked the Jews of His day for fasting in order to present themselves as holy. In Matthew 6:16-18 He says, ‘Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.’
If our desire is to suffer in order to get closer to God or induce spiritual enlightenment, then fasting is not for us. Fasting is a way to turn to God in prayer and worship (Joel 2:12; Mark 9:29; Acts 13:2). Many times it’s before an important decision, or it may be simply to dedicate some time to worship the Lord. It doesn’t have to be abstaining from food either. It can be refraining from anything to deeply meditate on God’s will. Anything we set apart, whether activities, food, hobbies or otherwise, God is the focus, not how long we can go without something. For example, when I was young and lost in false religion I fasted, but I could only think about how hungry I was! No matter how many Sundays I went without food, the focus was not on God, but how much I was suffering. I’ll tell you what, it would have been better if I spent 10 minutes reading my Bible in worship than spending a whole week going without food.
Again, we don’t have to fast before baptism. As you said, we can fast whenever we want! But we must remember that the point of us going without is to glorify the Lord for His lovingkindness and mercy. It’s about reflecting on God’s gospel and forgiveness, His greatness and majesty, or seeking His council and will for our lives. As with everything we do, it should be done for the glory of God (Colossians 3:23). It should also be noted that fasting is not about getting God to do something for us. As the GQ article states, ‘Fasting is not a way to get God to do what we want. Fasting changes us, not God’.
In closing, there is only one necessity for baptism, and that’s belief in Christ. As we read in Acts 8:36-38, ‘As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?’ And Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’ And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized him.’ Thanks so much for your question and God bless!
http://www.gotquestions.org/fasting-Christian.html
