they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.
- Matthew 11:19
- Luke 7:34
Length: 1/5
Controversy: 1/5
CS Lewis famously declared that it was impossible to believe that Jesus was merely a good man. Since he claimed to be God, said Lewis, he was either lying, mad or divine. Of course, Lewis doesn't consider the first two to be sensible options (and nor has he considered the possiblity that Jesus was misquoted - more on that in future weeks but for now just note the two Gospel sources of our quote for this week).
But there is a simpler argument to show that Jesus had his faults as a human being (along with his virtues, as we all do). Jesus contrasts himself with John the Baptist, saying that people don't believe in his Messiahship just because he overeats and drinks too much. ('Publican' in this context does not mean 'innkeeper' - it means 'taxman', a particularly reviled profession at the time for many reasons but not further evidence of drinking on Jesus' part.) Unlike the abstemious John, Jesus appears to be a drunkard and a glutton - enough to shock those who knew him. He is also shown as having a temper (for instance in the famous 'moneychangers' vandalism of John 2:14-16. This might be regarded as 'righteous anger', but there are other examples we shall come to in future weeks).
The context in Matthew is interesting also. Jesus is having a bit of a rant about how people don't believe he's the Messiah. In fact, they seem to believe he is a very naughty boy (Matt 11:22-23: 'It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you ... thou ... shalt be brought down to hell.')
Far from wowing those present with his miraculous ability, Jesus seems to have been most influential among those who knew him least. His family thought him mad - Mark 3:21 'they said, He is beside himself.' and Mark 6:1-6 - and Jesus seems quite happy that the wise reject his teachings (Matt 11:25).
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