07_Biblica_2_AM_B_Kilgallen_Layout 1 30/01/13 13:17 Pagina 594 07_B 594 JOHN KILGALLEN obliged to demur: great as John is, anyone who believes in Jesus (= “the least in the kingdom of heaven”) will have the greater reward. This attention to “faith in Jesus” moves the discourse to include the moral plane. Luke himself interrupts Jesus’ speech to offer a summary of responses to the famed call of John to repentance; some indeed accepted his baptism, but certain religious leaders frustrated God’s plan for saving them 10. It is in the light of this Lucan parenthesis that Jesus speaks again, to complain against the “people of this generation”. These people accept neither John nor Jesus, and reject them based on the conduct of each. Presumably John’s call to repentance will not be accepted because he is possessed by Satan and so not from God; his way of life, the people of this generation say, proves this possession. Jesus faces opposition and refusal for a different reason. He is not accused of being possessed by Satan (though on another occasion certain people said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons”, 11,15). His rejection is based on something else, namely the charge, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (7,34). One can say that such a charge comes purely from a refusal to repent, no matter the conduct of him who calls to repentance. We can add, however, that Jesus’ conduct was in such conflict with prevalent religious opinion and practice that faith in him was most unlikely 11. In the face of this criticism Jesus offers a wisdom saying that applies to his situation: “But wisdom is vindicated (de- clared just) by all her children” (7,35). This proverb, applicable to more than this one situation, suggests here that repentance proves that wisdom is truly wise. Religious leaders, as we have explained them, know that the repentant person is indeed a wise person, and fulfills God’s plan for salvation in Israel. Thus, it is to the result of Jesus’ methods for repentance that Jesus appeals; that is, look to the result of my association with sinners and learn from this result the positive value of the means which achieves this result, my be- friending sinners and tax collectors. The argumentation is succinct, leaving the listener to work out its logic. In brief, Jesus once again looks to his goal in conducting himself as he does, the goal of his mission as he speaks of it at the dinner with tax col- lectors and sinners (5,32). What Jesus offers now in chap. 7 is a proof that his method is justified, for, in a generalized statement in proverbial form, he points to a number of people who have done what God and Wisdom The point had been made about sinners before the Gospel was written: 10 “avgnoou/ntej ga.r th.n tou/ qeou/ dikaiosu,nhn kai. th.n ivdi,an Îdikaiosu,nhnÐ zhtou/ntej sth/sai( th/| dikaiosu,nh| tou/ qeou/ ouvc u`peta,ghsan” (Rom 10,3). “It is altogether clear that Jesus does not ‘stand off’ as he should (and 11 as they do) by these standards [of the Pharisees based on texts of their Scrip- tures] and that, to this degree, in their eyes he lacks the comportment of one who is ‘righteous’”, D. JEFFREY, Luke (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible; Grand Rapids, MI 2012) 191. © Gregorian Biblical Press 2012 - Tutti i diritti riservati