“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, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” Matthew 11:18-19
It is rewarding to know who we are inside. Underneath our various coverings and beyond the snapshot of public gaze, there is a unique reflection of God’s love—a particular reflection that carries our name. To know who we are and take some rest in that truth, it can fuel our capacity to withstand the scrutiny of those who are either ignorant or “can’t get no satisfaction.” We simply cannot please everyone. The Rolling Stones might have been on to something.
In our text, Jesus is speaking to folk about crowd narratives and opinions surrounding his imprisoned friend, John the Baptist. He questions their expectations. He questions their sight. After telling of John’s greatness, he comes to a conclusion about their misinformation. Their critique is a moving target, changing when confronted with something or someone they do not understand. Jesus gave a mic drop when he said, “Wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
Like the old folk say, “I can show ya betta than I can tell ya.”
He knew they could not be pleased. He also knew they had been religified not to trust prophets. With simple authority, Jesus teaches us when to let Wisdom have her way. Jesus was so divinely focused on helping people, he did not get distracted with pleasing them.
People-pleasing is a trap. It is a trauma-informed performance that signals communal brokenness. The pursuit and fulfillment of good are worthy motivations for a well community to come together in service to one another. A well community knows it cannot, nor does it seek to fake its way toward fruitful outcomes. People-pleasing presumes active faith, honesty, and love will not cut it. When we perform or expect people-pleasing behavior, the sacredness of human interaction is reduced to theater.
In his article “The Meaning of Birmingham,” civil rights activist Bayard Rustin wrote in 1963, “To be afraid is to behave as if the truth were not true.” This is not to suggest we become callous people absent of compassion, boundaries or discernment. It is an encouragement to lean into Wisdom and trust it will tell its own story. Wisdom is our holy escort. It is a gift from God and will fortify us in the presence of challenging spirits. Wisdom calculates the cost of trying to reason with God’s children who “can’t get no satisfaction.” Let us be wiser stewards of energy and permit our life-giving deeds to do more talking.
Contact Reverend Monique Crain Spells, Director of Christian Education and Faith Formation of Disciples Home Missions, at mcrainspells@dhm.disciples.org.
