Luke 7:24-26 meaning

The parallel Gospel account for Luke 7:24-26 is found in Matthew 11:7-9.

When the messengers of John had left, He began to speak to the crowds about John (v 24a).

The messengers were John the Baptizer’s disciples. As soon as they departed from Jesus to bring a report back to their imprisoned master regarding the question of Jesus’s Messianic identity, Jesus began to address the gathered crowds concerning John. This indicates that the questions posed by John’s disciples were likely asked in a public setting. This would also explain the coded messages being sent between Jesus and John, as described in the prior section (Luke 7:18-23).

Jesus questioned the gathered crowd, What did you go out into the wilderness to see? (v 24b).

This is a rhetorical question referring to a time, before Jesus began His public ministry, when John the Baptist was drawing crowds of his own in the wilderness of Judea (Luke 3:7). He was preaching a message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins to those who came to him (Luke 3:3). John’s message resonated among the people, so much so that even the religious authorities traveled into the wilderness to observe what was happening (Matthew 3:7).

But now Jesus was drawing His own crowds. His question assumes that some of the people He was addressing had also previously gone out into the wilderness to visit John. This may suggest that Jesus posed these questions while teaching and preaching in the vicinity of Jerusalem and Judea in the southern part of the country—which was the same district in which John the Baptist had ministered.

Jesus's questions center around the motives and expectations of those who visited John. What prompted them to leave their busy lives and make the journey into the wilderness? What did they go out to see? What did they hope to find?

Jesus playfully answers His own question, What did you go out into the wilderness to see? with an illustration: A reed shaken by the wind? (v 24c). 

The expected answer to this rhetorical question is “No, we did not go out into the wilderness to see a reed.” Along the quiet banks of the Jordan River, one would indeed see many reeds shaking and swaying in the wind. However, this is ordinary and not worth the effort. John was not shaken by the political or cultural currents; he stood firm against them. That is why people came to see him—they were eager to hear the truth.

Jesus repeats His main question, But what did you go out to see? (v 25a). 

He imagines another humorous reply: A man dressed in soft clothing? (v 25b). 

Once again, the implied answer to this rhetorical question is understood to be, “No.” The people did not come out into the wilderness to see a finely dressed man. In the Judean wilderness, one would not expect to find someone dressed in luxurious, soft clothing. Such attire was a luxury associated with the wealthiest individuals who lived in royal palaces. It was the Herodians who had imprisoned John who were dressed in soft clothing. 

John did not dress in soft clothing. On the contrary, he was known for his unconventional attire—a garment of coarse camel's hair and a leather belt (Matthew 3:4). John was not part of the political or cultural elite, nor did he conform to their customs or benefit from their status. Instead, he was a prophet of the Living God. This was why people sought him out.

Jesus repeats His question a third time for emphasis, But what did you go out to see? (v 26a).

This time, He provides the presumed answer: A prophet? Yes, I say to you (v 26b). 

The real reason people journeyed from their towns and cities for a day was in the hope of encountering a prophet of God. A prophet does not yield to human rulers or conform to societal expectations. Such a figure does not sway with every wind or seek luxury like those who wear soft clothing. Instead, a prophet speaks the truth—a truth that often challenges and opposes those who use their cultural or political status to exploit others.

Throughout Israel’s history, God communicated with His people through numerous prophets. However, for the past four hundred years, there had been a profound silence. Until John the Baptist, Malachi was the last prophetic voice recorded. As the Jews found themselves under the governance of the Greeks and later the Romans, many longed for the deliverance prophesied in the Law and the Prophets. The prophet Daniel had provided a timeline for the Messiah’s arrival. It would start with a decree to rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, which occurred after the Jews' return from the Babylonian exile. Daniel foretold that 49 “sevens” or weeks of years would pass until the Messiah's coming, equating to 343 years.

By the time of Jesus’s ministry, this anticipation had likely intensified, as the timeline for the proclamation had been issued and fulfilled (Daniel 9:24-25; Nehemiah 2). The appearance of a prophet could have sparked hope that this peculiar man preaching about the kingdom of heaven was a prophet sent by God to end the divine silence.

Jesus continued, A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and one who is more than a prophet (v 26b). 

This statement affirms that John is not only a prophet, but one of great significance. As Jesus would soon explain to the crowds, John is the prophet who was predicted to precede the Messiah. The one who would prepare the way (Luke 7:27). While Jesus confirms John's prophetic role, He also addresses the deeper hope and desire that drew the crowds to seek John in the wilderness.

The true hope burning within their hearts about John was one they scarcely dared to voice. They hoped John was more than just a prophet—they hoped John was the Messiah who would deliver them. John was indeed a prophet, but he was not the Messiah they sought (John 1:19-20). 

The dramatic irony of this passage is that the one speaking to them was Himself the long-awaited Messiah. The very One the crowds hoped to encounter in the wilderness is the One speaking to them now. Although Jesus does not explicitly declare Himself the Messiah at this point, His words were designed to kindle the Messianic hope in their hearts. His leading words were daring them to believe that He is their Messiah.