Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 11:19

"The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! And wisdom is justified by her works." — Matthew 11:19 (ASV)

Eating and drinking—that is, sharing in the common life of humanity, as seen in the feast at Matthew’s house or the wedding feast at Cana. The words point almost specifically to these two instances, and the phrasing recalls the question the Pharisees asked the disciples: Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? (Luke 5:30).

Wisdom is justified of her children.—Literally, the text says she was justified. This is our Lord’s answer, on behalf of both Himself and John the Baptist, to the contradictory false accusations of their critics. People may accuse wisdom—true, heavenly wisdom—on one ground or another, but she would be (or rather, as the tense implies a general truth, she is) always acquitted, justified, and acknowledged as righteous in both her more severe and more joyous forms by all who are truly her children—that is, by all who seek and love her as the mother of their peace and joy.

Like so many of our Lord’s other sayings, this principle extends far and wide through the ages. The evil world rejects all who seek to overcome its evil, using one pretext or another. In contrast, true seekers of wisdom will welcome holiness in whatever form it appears—whether cheerful or ascetic, Protestant or Roman Catholic, Puritan or liberal—so long as it is real and true.