Matthew 11:18

Those kids are a picture of you mob. You are just like those kids. You rubbish God’s people no matter what they do. You see, John the Baptiser didn’t go to parties and eat lots of good food, and he didn’t drink wine. But you rubbished him and said, ‘He’s got a bad spirit living inside him.’

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.

In Context

17‘We played happy music for you, but you didn’t dance. So we sang a sad song, but you didn’t cry. No matter what we do, you say we are wrong.’

19But sometimes I go to parties and eat good food, and sometimes I drink wine, and even though I’m God’s special man from heaven, you rubbish me too. You say, ‘He eats too much, and he drinks too much. He’s a friend of those bad men that get tax money from people and give it to the Roman government, and he’s a friend of other bad people that don’t follow the law properly.’ But really, John and me, we are both wise. And you can know if somebody is wise or not. Just look at what they do, and see if they do good things or not.”

Read all of Matthew 11

Cross References

Matthew 3:4John wore rough clothes, made of camel’s hair, and he wore a leather belt. He ate grasshoppers and bush honey.

Luke 1:15God will say that this kid is important, so you have to make sure he never drinks any sort of wine or grog at all. You see, the Holy Spirit will come into this kid before he gets born, while he is still inside his mother.

John 8:48The Jewish leaders told him, “Hey, you are wrong. We always reckoned that you are a rubbish man from Samaria, and you’ve got a bad spirit inside you. And we are right.”

Acts 26:24While Paul was talking, Festus suddenly shouted, “Paul, you are crazy. You have been reading and learning too much, and it made you go crazy in your head.”

Matthew Henry on Matthew 11:17-25

Christ Reproaches Chorazin, &c.. 16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of… Read the whole commentary →

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