Luke 7:29,30

Luke 7:29-30 are best taken as a historical reflection by the evangelist. Its prosaic character, as compared with what goes before and comes after, compels this conclusion, as even Hahn admits. Then its absence from Mt.'s account points in the same direction. It has for its aim to indicate to what extent the popular judgment had endorsed the estimate just offered by Jesus. The whole people, even the publicans, had, by submitting to be baptised by John, acknowledged his legitimacy and power as a prophet of God, and so “justified” (ἐδικαίωσαν) God in sending him as the herald of the coming Messianic Kingdom and King, i.e., recognised him as the fit man for so high a vocation. To be strictly correct he is obliged, contrary to his wont, to refer to the Pharisees and lawyers as exceptions, describing them as making void, frustrating (ἠθέτησαν, cf. Galatians 2:21) the counsel of God with reference to themselves. The two words ἐδικ. and ἠθέτ. are antithetic, and help to define each other. The latter meaning to treat with contempt and so set aside, the former must mean to approve God's counsel or ordinance in the mission of the Baptist. Kypke renders: laudarunt Deum, citing numerous instances of this sense from the Psalt. Solom. εἰς ἑαυτοὺς after ἠθέτησαν has been variously rendered = “against themselves” (A. V [76]) and = “for themselves,” i.e., in so far as they were concerned (R. V [77]; “quantum ab eis pendebat,” Bornemann). But the latter would require τὸ εἰς ἑαυτούς. The meaning is plain enough. God's counsel very specially concerned the Pharisees and lawyers, for none in Israel more needed to repent than they. Therefore the phrase = they frustrated God's counsel (in John's mission), which was for (concerned) the whole Jewish people, and its religious leaders very particularly.

[76] Authorised Version.

[77] Revised Version.