“Between John The Ascetic And Jesus The Sociable!”

Between John The Ascetic And Jesus The Sociable!”(Mt.11:16-24).
LORD, as I come out of bed, I join the birds to thank you for a new day.
“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”
John the Baptist was a Nazirite. Those who took the Nazirite vow had to abstain from wine and other fermented drinks and must not drink vinegar made from wine… He must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins…” Summarily, a Nazirite had nothing to do with a grapevine. During the period of the vow, no razor was to be used on his head. He had to be holy till the period of separation was over. He didn’t have to go near a corpse(cf.Num.6:1ff).
This separation to be consecrated to the LORD was for personal piety.
To enforce his Nazirite vow, John lived a secluded life during the brief period of his ministry. John was a herald whose core message was a call to repentance and a turning to the Messiah.
Instead of heeding the message and turning to the LORD, his critics accused him of having a demon.
Then came Jesus, the Messiah himself, eating and drinking, and his critics said he was a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Even though he performed miracles while preaching the nearness of the kingdom of God, the critics gave deaf ears to him.
However, the taste of the pudding is in the eating. In the words of Christ, “Wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”
The other day, I mentioned somewhere that when a finger is pointed at a direction to show you something, do not fix your gaze on the pointed finger; rather, look to where the finger is pointing.
The call to repentance is the message that the messenger is bringing, whether he is a Nazirite like John the Baptist or a sociable person like Jesus.
The other day, a colleague likened his situation to that of prophet Hosea. Hosea started his prophetic ministry with the divine instruction: “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD…”(Ho.1:2ff).
Jesus denounced the towns in which most of his miracles were performed because they did not repent.”
Today, the messengers’ messages have not changed. It is still a call to repentance! It is a call for change – to make a U-turn to the Lord Jesus Christ!
Hear the message and respond rather than judging the messengers whether as Nazirites they have demons or like Jesus, they are gluttons and drunkards.
Prayer of the day and week: Holy Spirit, direct my focus on the message and help me to respond with obedience. Amen!
Welcome back to a new working day and week! Have a blessed day and week! Peace be with you! Merry Christmas!
Rev Babila Fochang.
15/12/2025.