Composition

This cluster illustrates the importance of motifs in the composition of Q. The synoptic sayings source opened with John the Baptist forecasting the appearance of one greater than himself (Luke 3:16//Matt 3:11-12). Jesus is identified with this figure by the opening chreia in this Q cluster (Luke 7:18-23//Matt 11:2-6). But his acknowledgement is indirect, pointing to healings and a message of encouragement to the poor to indicate that John's prophecy has been fulfilled. Who did these things is not said. Thus, Q placed Jesus' sermon (which begins by congratulating the poor) and the cure of the centurion's slave between John's preaching and this passage to show that Jesus qualifies as John's greater successor.

That chreia is followed by a string of Jesus sayings focusing on the importance of John (Luke 7:24-35//Matt 11:7-19). These may have been linked before Q, since the sayings exalt John instead of Jesus and dwell on distinctions between them. The sayings are themselves clustered in two groups: (a) words addressed to those who responded to John (7:24-28) and (b) response to criticism by those who did not (7:29-35).

Between them Matthew has a difficult saying about John's relation to Jewish scripture and the proclamation of God's reign (Matt 11:12-13), which Luke uses to introduce Jesus' comments about the Law of Moses (Luke 16:16-18).  This saying is odd in both contexts, but could have stood in either spot in Q because of different catchwords.

Luke 7:18-23	Matt 11:2-6
18 John's disciples	2 While John was in prison
reported all these things to him.	he heard about what
19 John summoned	the Anointed One had been doing
a couple of his disciples and sent them	and he sent his disciples
to the Master to ask:	3 to ask:
"Are you the one who is to come	"Are you the one who is to come
or do we have to wait	or do we have to wait
for someone else?"	for another?"
20 And when the men came to Jesus,
they said:
"John the Baptizer sent us to you
to ask:
'Are you the one who is to come
or do we have to wait for someone else?'"
21 Jesus had just cured
many of their diseases
and plagues and evil spirits,
and restored sight to many
who were blind.
22 And so he answered them,	4 And so Jesus answered them,
"Go report to John	"Go report to John
what you have seen and heard:	what you have heard and seen:
the blind see again,	5 the blind see again
the lame walk;	and the lame walk;
lepers are cleansed	lepers are cleansed
the deaf hear,	and the deaf hear;
the dead are raised,	the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news	and the poor have the good news
preached to them.	preached to them.
23 Congratulations to those	6 Congratulations to those
who don't take offense at me."	who don't take offense at me."

Narrative setting

This chreia has four presuppositions that are not based on information in Q:

(a) John was imprisoned,
(b) John had disciples,
(c) John heard of Jesus, and
(d) John had not identified Jesus as his successor.

These points are related to material in other gospels but are not derived directly from any of them. There is no hint of personal contact between Jesus and John. Rather, the story involves a question raised about Jesus' activity after John's public career has ended. John's own reaction is not told. Instead, the focus is on telling John's disciples things that Jesus did. Acts 19:1-7 describes a similar situation long after Jesus' death.

Saying

Jesus' response has three parts:

(a) instructions to messengers,
(b) a catalogue of events, and
(c) congratulations to anyone who does not find Jesus offensive.

The last element is odd in the current context. But the seminar did not divide the saying, due to lack of evidence that the parts circulated separately.

The saying as a whole is distinct from the narrative. Someone can be told to deliver a message without a prior question. But the content of the saying is too cryptic to have circulated apart from an account of John's own preaching. Thus, both were probably recorded in Q together.

Background

This chreia comes only from Q, but depends on outside information. The audience is presumed to be familiar with the significance of the events listed in Jesus' response. They are a collage of details drawn from the oracles of Isaiah (particularly 26:19, 29:18-19, 35:3-6) about the "day" of God's vengeance. John forecast this (Luke 3:7-9//Matt 3:7-10), but did not use these particular signs to describe his successor (Luke 3:16-17//Matt 3:11-12). Anyone familiar with Hebrew prophecy could have constructed this catalogue.

The healing of lepers is not a traditional eschatological sign but an act associated with Elisha (2 Kings 5), Elijah's historical successor.  To catch the significance of the reference here, the audience must already recognize John as Elijah. This identification is common knowledge to readers of the synoptic gospels. But in Q it is revealed only in sayings to the crowd after John's disciples leave (Luke 7:24-27//Matt 11:7-13).

The response to John also presupposes that Jesus has done these things. Q does not illustrate this, though there are many passages in the later canonical gospels that do. Such anachronisms, the conventional Christian perspective, and the lack of traits typical of Jesus kept most Fellows from regarding this as a genuine Jesus saying.

Reply to John	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 7:22-23 Matt 11:4-6		0 4	18 14	27 27	55 55	21 23	black black

The one element that has an authentic ring to it is the concluding formula of congratulations (Luke 7:23//Matt 11:6). It is like those in Jesus' sermon (see Luke 6:20-22 above) and presupposes that Jesus scandalized people, a point that is amply illustrated by later Q passages. Unlike obviously Christian sayings, it does not rally Jesus' supporters or blame non-supporters but accepts anyone who is tolerant. Thus, many Fellows voted grey or pink on the saying as a whole. Had this formula been considered apart from the previous verses, it probably would have received a higher weighted average.

Luke 7:24-28	Matt 11:7-11	Thom 78
24 After John's messengers	7 After they
had left,	had departed
Jesus began to talk	Jesus began to talk	1 Jesus said:
to the crowds	to the crowds
about John.	about John.
"What	"What	"Why
did you go out	did you go out	have you come out
to the desert	to the desert	to the countryside?
to gawk at?	to gawk at?	To see
A reed shaking	A reed shaking	a reed shaken
in the wind?	in the wind?	by the wind?
25 What	8 What
did you really go out	did you really go out
to see?	to see?	2 And to see
A man dressed	A man dressed	A person dressed
in fancy clothes?	in fancy clothes?	in soft clothes,
But wait!	But wait!
Those who dress	Those who wear
fashionably	fancy clothes
and live in luxury		<like your> rulers and
are found	are found	your powerful ones?
in palaces.	in royal houses.
		3 They are dressed
		in soft clothes,
		and they cannot
		understand truth."
26 Come on!	9 Come on!
what did you go out	what did you go out
to see?	to see?
A prophet? Yes, that's	A prophet? Yes, that's
what you went out	what you went out
to see, and even more	to see, and even more
than a prophet.	than a prophet.
27 This is the one	10 This is the one	Mark 1
about whom	about whom	2 As
it was written:	it was written:	it is written
		by the prophet Isaiah:
'Here is	'Here is	'Here is
my messenger:	my messenger:	my messenger:
whom I send on	whom I send on	whom I send on
ahead of you	ahead of you	ahead of you
to prepare your way	to prepare your way	to prepare your way!
before you.'	before you.'	3 A voice of someone
		shouting in the desert,
		'Make ready the way
		of the Lord,
		make his paths straight.'
		Thom 46
		1 Jesus said:
		"From Adam
28 I'm telling you,	11 Let me tell you,	to John the Baptizer
among those	among those	among those
born of women	born of women	born of women
none	no one has arisen	no one
is greater	who is greater	is greater
than John;	than John;	than John,
		so his eyes shall not
		be downcast.
yet	yet	2 But I have said
		that whoever among you
the least <important>	the least <important>	becomes a child
in the empire	in the empire	will recognize the empire
of God	of Heaven	<of the Father>
is greater than he is."	is greater than he is."	and be greater than John.

Composition

Jesus' eulogy is composed of three distinct rhetorical elements:

(a) a series of questions and declarations (Luke 7:24-26//Matt 11:7-9),
(b) a paraphrase and application of scripture (Luke 7:27//Matt 11:10), and
(c) a riddle about relative social status (Luke 7:28//Matt 11:11).

Thomas also records the first and third, but separately and in different contexts. So, independent sayings have been combined to form this speech about John. The first two do not mention John by name. As Thom 78 shows, they could have other applications outside Q's context.

The first rhetorical element is a logical unit.  Three times the audience is asked what they went to see, and three times an answer is suggested in the form of a question. The order of options goes from least to greatest probability, leading the audience to reject the first two and adopt the third, as in a multiple choice test.

Thom 78 presents the first pair of options in another setting. Here, those questioned have "come" rather than "gone" to the wilderness. This raises the question of whether Thomas adapted Q's version to the situation of later Christian hermits or whether Q expanded Thomas' version to apply to John. Either option is theoretically possible. Which is more plausible depends on the place of Q and Thomas in the social history of early Christianity.

The second element in this Q cluster paraphrases Mal 3:1 and Exod 23:20 which contain the same key words.  This method of biblical interpretation was common among Jewish scribes. Mark 1:2-3 uses the technique to join the same OT texts with Isa 40:3, but without ascribing these words to Jesus. Throughout synoptic tradition the quote from Malachi was cited to identify John as Elijah.

The third element balances two sweeping statements with opposing estimates of John's importance. This raises the question: who combined these paradoxical aphorisms, the original author or some later editor?  This issue concerns not only the source of this saying but the relationship of Jesus, John and their followers. 

Attribution

Into the desert	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 7:24b-25 Matt 11:7b-8 Thom 78:1-2 Thom 78:3		14 14 11 5	45 48 47 24	18 22 26 33	23 17 16 38	50 52 51 32	grey pink pink grey
More than a prophet
Luke 7:26-27 Matt 11:9-10		0 0	14 9	27 30	59 61	18 16	black black
Greater than John
Luke 7:28 Matt 11:11 Thom 46		4 0 0	48 52 28	8 8 32	40 40 40	39 37 29	grey grey grey

The seminar decided to separate the third question from the first saying because it lacks a parallel in Thomas.  Luke 7:26 was then linked with 7:27 for voting, since both are about prophecy. Mark reports a story (11:27-33) indicating that Jesus regarded John as a prophet.  But this Q unit is indistinguishable from common Christian teaching and lacks any trait typical of Jesus.  There were no red votes.

The other sayings are more complex, leaving the Fellows divided over the issue of their origin.  The rhetorical questions in Thom 78 and Q (Luke 7:24-25//Matt 11:7-8) use vivid images with an ironic edge.  And the implied critique of a well-dressed nobility is consistent with Jesus sayings which favor the poor (see Luke 6:20) and display a disregard for clothing (Matt 5:40//Luke 6:29, 12:22-28).  So, most of the Fellows granted that Jesus said something like this.

On the other hand, the variants show the saying was subject to paraphrase and reinterpretation. Its tone is not so distinctive that Jesus is the only possible author. The appeal to ascetics suits later patterns of Christian practice and recruitment better than accounts of Jesus' own behavior. Such considerations offset the signs of authenticity enough to keep the voting average on the border between pink and gray.

Likewise, the third saying (Luke 7:28//Matt 11:11) has elements that tend to counter-balance each other. Jesus is probably the only speaker in Christian sources who could call John the greatest person who had a mother. Yet the second part of the saying downplays this estimate by placing the lowest in God's domain above John. Together they pose a strange exaggerated paradox, inverting standards of social prominence. But the saying excludes John from God's domain and seems to reflect the rivalry between Christian and Baptist movements. Thus, it fits later circumstance better than Jesus' own experience. If the saying was divided, the first part probably would be judged genuine. As it was, reservations about the second part left the whole verse gray.

Luke 16:16	Matt 11:12-13
16 "Right up to John's time	12 "From the time of John the Baptizer
you have the Law
and the Prophets;
since then	until now
God's empire *	the empire of Heaven *
has been proclaimed
as good news
and everyone is breaking into it	has been breaking in
with force."	with force
	and forceful men
	are trying to seize it.
	13 You see,
	the Prophets and the Law
	predicted everything
	up to John's time."

* See cameo essay on the empire of God

Elements

The one sure thing about this saying is its structure. It is composed of two distinct statements which Matthew and Luke present in inverse order. One relates John to the Jewish scriptures (Torah and Prophets); the other relates the reign of God to physical force or violence. Editorial differences in Matthew and Luke make the original purpose of the saying unclear.

Versions

Matthew here as elsewhere claims John initiated the announcement of God's reign (see Matt 3:2). According to Luke's wording this message could have started after John. Luke is also vague as to whether the OT is in effect through or only up to the time of John. Matthew does not set a time limit on the use of Jewish scripture (especially the Torah), but only on the period of prophecy.

The main problem with both versions involves the use of terms for "force." The Greek carries connotations of both vigor and violence.  In Luke people are striving to enter God's domain.  Who or how is not specified.  Matthew imagines a conflict between forces of heaven and the "forceful." It is unclear whether Q spoke of the divine order as breaking in or being broken into.

Attribution

Force and the Kingdom	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 16:16 Matt 11:12-13		4 8	16 40	44 24	36 28	29 43	grey grey

This is a hard saying to rate. The different attempts to make sense of it show that it was problematic in Q. The association of God's reign with force or violence is striking. It differs from most early Christian preaching except for a few dramatic Jesus sayings (see below Matt 12:22). The original core could have been a cryptic comment on John's arrest or execution. Thus, almost half the Fellows trace it to something Jesus said. Yet, each gospel revised it to fit its own views. Most Fellows rated Luke lower than Matthew because he tones down the reference to force and typically assigns John to the period before Jesus. But Matthew's version also conforms to his own view of Jesus and John's messages. Grey suits a saying that cannot be recovered intact.

Luke 7:31-35	Matt 11:16-19
31 "What do	16 "What does
the people of this generation	this generation
remind me of?	remind me of?
What are they like?
32 They are like children	It is like children
sitting in the marketplace	sitting in marketplaces
and calling out to one another,	who call out to others,
'We played the flute for you	17 'We played the flute for you
but you wouldn't dance;	but you wouldn't dance;
we sang a dirge,	we sang a dirge,
but you wouldn't weep.'	but you wouldn't mourn.'
33 Just remember,	18 Just remember,
John the Baptizer appeared	John appeared
on the scene,	on the scene,
eating no bread	neither eating
and drinking no wine,	nor drinking,
and you say, 'He's possessed.'	and they say, 'He's possessed.'
34 The son of Man * appeared	19 The son of Man * appeared
on the scene	on the scene
both eating and drinking,	both eating and drinking,
and you say,	and they say,
'There's a glutton and a drunk	'There's a glutton and a drunk,
a crony of toll collectors and sinners'	a crony of toll collectors and sinners'
35 Indeed,	Indeed,
Wisdom is vindicated	Wisdom is vindicated
by all her children."	by her deeds."

* Greek: ὁ ὕιος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (lit: "the son of the human")

Composition

This response to critics of Jesus and John consists of:
(a) a parable about children (Luke 7:31-32//Matt 11:16-17),
(b) an ironic comment about diet (Luke 7:33-34//Matt 11:18-19b), and
(c) a proverb personifying wisdom (Luke 7:35//Matt 11:19c).

None of the elements depends directly on another and, so, could circulate separately. But they are preserved only in Q's cluster. Together they portray Jesus and John as opposite types of sages.

Content

The parable introduces a comparison in question form, like rabbinic parables. The children's complaint is similar to that in some Jewish stories. Yet, the imagery here is common to the Mediterranean world.  The parable portrays petty children criticizing others who refuse to cooperate. In Matthew the same group criticizes various outsiders. Luke has different groups blaming each other. In both cases, those subject to criticism are addressed as plural but not identified.

The next lines juxtapose criticisms aimed at the behavior of named individuals: John and "the son of Man" (here just a nickname for Jesus; see cameo essay on "the son of Man"). Both are charged with excess rather than lack of cooperation.

The concluding proverb uses the traditional characterization of "Wisdom" (sophia, in the Greek) as a woman. Only Luke portrays her as a mother. Her children are viewed as defenders, not accusers like those in the preceding parable. Matthew's version echoes the rabbinic axiom that the proof of one's wisdom is in one's deeds (see above).

Attribution

In the market	%	Red	Pink	Grey	Black	WA	Print
Luke 7:31-32 Matt 11:16-17		3 6	27 21	20 21	50 52	28 27	grey grey
Son of Man drunk
Luke 7:33-34 Matt 11:18-19b		18 18	22 22	30 33	30 27	42 43	grey grey
Wisdom justified
Luke 7:35 Matt 11:19c		12 6	12 9	18 21	58 64	26 19	grey black

The logical gaps between these elements led the Jesus seminar to consider them as separate sayings. The resulting verdict was various shades of gray, due to problems in coordinating the contents with genuine Jesus sayings. Apart from Q's context Luke's proverb could refer to any sage. The application here is unusual, however, since it does not follow Christian practice of glorifying Jesus above other teachers. Yet the remark itself is rather commonplace, unlike other Jesus sayings, and its placement artificial. So most Fellows thought the ascription to Jesus was improbable. It is even harder to distinguish the voice of Jesus in Matthew's version of this proverb, for it simply echoes a view shared by numerous Jewish sages.

The saying characterizing the taunts of children in the marketplace is a parable whose vivid mimicry of gang rivalry has an ironic edge.  But unlike other Jesus parables the observations are rather conventional. The market imagery is more typical of Hellenistic cities than the Galilean villages with which Jesus is associated. And the negative image of children was common in ancient society but not in genuine Jesus sayings.

The comment contrasting Jesus and John is more like genuine Jesus sayings. It uses vivid exaggerated language to make a subtle but provocative point. The contrast between John and Jesus and the slurs against their life-styles conflicts sharply with standard Christian views.  But the image of Jesus dining with sinners is confirmed by many stories outside Q. The saying is a retort that refers to Jesus only indirectly. Yet, many scholars have argued that the use of "son of Man" as a technical name for Jesus can be traced only to later Christian circles. So, most Fellows hesitated to trace this saying to a setting earlier than the conventional wisdom surrounding it in Q, its single source.*

*Note: For more on the so-called "son of man" debate in general and this pericope in particular see this author's essays "Judging the Son of Man" and "Wisdom's Child."