Luke 7:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

NIV: The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’

NASB: The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a heavy drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

CSB: The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

NLT: The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’

KJV: The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!

NKJV: The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

Jesus is completing His description of people who reject the message preached by Himself and John the Baptist. The detractors are complaining about the messenger, not the content of the message. Jesus compares those who reject John the Baptist to children who play lively music and complain that others will not dance (Luke 7:32). The Pharisees, religious lawyers, and respectable Jews live a normal life that includes linen robes, bread, and wine. They reject John's austere lifestyle of camel-hair clothes, locusts, and wild honey. This would be fine; Jesus doesn't expect everyone to live an ascetic lifestyle. But they also reject John's call for them to repent, thinking both John's message and his method too extreme (Luke 7:33).

Conversely, the religious leaders and those who follow them are also like children who play a dirge and can't understand why Jesus won't "weep." They condemn Jesus for eating with sinners and tax collectors, believing Him guilty by association. They don't understand that it is not appropriate to fast and mourn while the bridegroom is present or that, as the spiritual Physician, He must go where the sick are (Luke 5:27–35).

"Son of Man" is one of Jesus' favorite ways to identify Himself. It comes from Daniel 7:13–14 in which Daniel had a vision of "one like a son of man" who was given dominion over all people and nations by the Ancient of Days. The King James version uses terms such as "winebibber" and "publican." A winebibber is a drunkard. "Publican" is an old word for "tax-farmer" and means a tax collector.

Luke 7:24–35 records Jesus making an interesting observation. John lived an ascetic, monk-like lifestyle in the wilderness; Jesus eats and drinks alongside moral and social outcasts. Yet both preach the same message of repentance of sins. The sinners and tax collectors respond to both John and Jesus, drawn to the message without concern for their lifestyles. Stubborn religious leaders, however, claim to judge their lifestyles; what they really can't accept is the message proclaimed by Jesus and John. This section is also depicted in Matthew 11:7–19.

Luke 7 presents a chiasm: a set of themes mirrored around a reflection point. The humble centurion (Luke 7:1–10) contrasts the legalistic Pharisee (Luke 7:39–50). The widow of Nain (Luke 7:11–17) and the sinful women (Luke 7:36–38) have nothing to offer but gratitude for Jesus' blessings. In the center are John the Baptist and his disciples who struggle to trust that Jesus is worth following (Luke 7:18–23), then the sinners who do choose to follow Jesus and the religious leaders who refuse (Luke 7:24–35).

Luke 7 continues Jesus' mission primarily to the people of Galilee expressed as a series of pointed events and teachings punctuated by calls to follow Him. He has finished teaching the rigors of discipleship (Luke 6:17–45) and invited the crowd to place their faith in Him (Luke 6:46–49). Here, Luke describes different reactions to Jesus' miracles and message. Next, Jesus will reveal the mechanics of and reactions to His call (Luke 8:4–21) before showing His great authority over nature, demons, sickness, and worldly powers (Luke 8:22—9:17). After a final call to the disciples to deepen their faith (Luke 9:18–50), Jesus will turn toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51—19:27).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.