Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 7:24

"And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind?" — Luke 7:24 (ASV)

The topic now changes from the role of Jesus to that of John. Through some gently ironic questions that expect obviously negative answers, Jesus stresses the inflexibility and austerity of John. He calls John a “prophet” and adds the role of “messenger” from Mal 3:1. If John is the messenger, obviously this forcefully implies the significance of Jesus’ own role.

Jesus now puts John into historical perspective. John came in advance of the kingdom, which has now become a reality (16:16). Great as John was (v.28), it is greater to participate in the kingdom than to announce it. We should not conclude from this, however, that John himself is excluded. Lk 13:28 says that all the prophets will be in the kingdom.