Luke
7:18-35
The mission of Messiah, 1:5-9:50
The acts of Messiah, 6:12-7:50
v] Jesus and John the Baptist
SynopsisJohn the Baptist, while in prison in the fortress of Machaerus near the Dead Sea, is confused by the news circulating about the ministry of Jesus, supposedly Israel's latest prophet. So, John sends some disciples to Jesus to ask him directly whether he is the "one who is to come" - is he the messiah or just a prophet. Jesus tells John's disciples to report on what they see - "the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them." Jesus goes on to explain who the Baptist is within God's dispensation - the messenger preparing the way of the messiah. Jesus then convicts the religious authorities of their fickle ways - the Baptist has a demon / Jesus is a wine-bibber, glutton and friend of sinners.
Teaching
The messianic age of the kingdom surpasses the old kingdom of Israel, represented by its last prophet, John the Baptist, but its dawning brings with it confusion and division.
Issues
i] Context: See 6:12-16. Jesus and John the Baptist is the fifth episode of the fourth section of Luke's gospel, The dawning of the kingdom in the acts of Messiah, 6:12-7:50.
ii] Background: As Ellis notes, Luke presupposes the Baptist's messianic expectations with respect to Jesus, expectations fostered at the Baptism of Jesus, Matt.3:13-17, John 1:29-37, and probably before. John would have expected the realisation of the kingdom in eschatological terms, judgment and the like, but as he sits in prison, he hears reports of Jesus' ministry in the terms of an Old Testament prophet like Elijah or Elisha, and so he is confused.
iii] Structure: Jesus and John the Baptist:
John the Baptist's question, v18-23:
"Are you the one who is to come?"
"Go and tell John what you have seen."
John's place in the messianic age, v24-30:
John: "A prophet, and yes, more than a prophet", v24-28
Analysis of the crowd's response to John, v29-30:
Jesus' assessment of the sinful generation, v31-35:
Fickle, like cantankerous children.
iv] Interpretation:
The episode, as a whole, further develops the theme of confusion commenced with the account of Jesus raising a deceased young man to life. There was no confusion for the Centurion. He was a man of authority, and recognised Jesus' authority. For the Centurion, it was just a matter of Jesus saying a word. For Luke, the episode serves as the perfect example of faith - the mark of "the poor" who possess the kingdom. What follows is confusion when Jesus raises the deceased young man to life. The crowd is confused - Jesus is a prophet, a new Elijah, or even Elisha. Luke now records the Baptist's confusion; even the Baptist questions whether Jesus is the messiah. The episode concludes with Jesus describing the confused and fickle nature of a people devoid of faith.
As is so often the case, this episode further reveals Jesus' person. In dispelling the Baptist's fears, Jesus reminds him of how the messianic works / signs promised of the coming messiah, in his inauguration / realisation of the kingdom, and being fulfilled at this very moment. Jesus, as the long-promised eschatological Servant of the Lord, fulfils the prophets words, v22, cf., , 4:18-19, Isaiah 61:1-2. "Blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me."
Going on to honour the Baptist's ministry, Jesus further reinforces his own status, along with the status of those who follow him, v24-28. The Baptist is the last great prophet of old Israel, and yet even greater than a prophet, for he is the precursor, the messenger of the coming new messianic age. As such, he serves as a link between the two. Yet, even though the Baptist is a profoundly important person, he is less than the least of those "poor" who take their place in the new age of the kingdom of God.
Unlike Matthew, Luke takes a moment to comment on the crowd's view of John, v29-30. There is great irony in the fact that common folk see the Baptist the way Jesus sees him, but churchmen and theologians don't. The religious authorities don't think that the Baptist has any significance in the purposes of God. If religious Israel can't recognise the significance of the Baptist, what hope have they of recognising the significance of Jesus.
Jesus goes on to assess this age, v29-35. The Parable of the Brats, as Bock likes to call it, serves to make the point that "this generation" is like a group of fickle children who can't settle on what game to play, whatever the game - either a wedding game, or a funeral game. John plays the serious funeral game, neither eating nor drinking, and it is said of him that he is demon-possessed; Jesus plays the wedding game, celebrating, and it is said of him that he is a "winebibber and glutton", a person who associates with corrupt people.
The episode concludes with a saying of Jesus, v35. In this saying, Jesus personifies Wisdom, making the point that she stands absolved in the lives of her "children". The children may well be the Baptist and Jesus, cf., Bovon. Wisdom's revelation of the coming kingdom, in the context of the Baptist's rigor and Jesus' joy, is profoundly right and good, such that the religious authorities' judgment of the ministry of the Baptist and Jesus is devoid of wisdom. As Fitzmyer notes, the presence of pantwn, "all", leads to the conclusion that God's "wisdom is manifested as a mother whose children are not only John and Jesus, but all the people who, like toll-collectors and sinners, are willing to listen to John or Jesus." "The poor", the children of faith, witness the deeds and words of the Baptist and Jesus, and judge them to be true to the divine will ("justify" - judge them right), so Nolland, Bock, Stein, Marshall, Evans, Green ("Wisdom's children are those who, like John and Jesus, align themselves with God's purpose and this is revealed in the person and work of Jesus"), Ellis, Creed, Johnson, ....
v] Synoptics:
See 3:1-20. This passage is paralleled in Matthew 11:2-19. The episode appears much later than in Luke's sequence of events, but this is because Matthew is more concerned with the theological arrangement of his material. The usual arguments abound as to who copied who, but it seems likely that both Matthew and Luke worked off separate sources. This is usually identified as Q. Some differences between the two accounts can be put down to the individual authors themselves, but most probably derive they from the version of the tradition available to them - most likely oral. The episode presents in three parts:
7:18-23, cf., Matt.11:2-6. Compared to Luke, Matthew's account is concise, but the wording of both accounts is similar.
7:24-30, cf., Matt.11:7-15. Again, similar wording is used in both accounts, although with interesting differences in vocabulary, eg., "king's houses / kings courts". Matthew adds the enigmatic saying of the storming of the kingdom of God, 11:12-15, a saying which Luke uses in 16:16. Luke adds some background information on how and why the crowd reacts differently to Jesus' words, v29-30. Luke may have crafted this note himself, although Marshall thinks it was in his received tradition.
7:31-35, cf. Matt.11:16-19. Again, similar wording is used in both accounts, but the differences are enough "to suggest the presence of distinct, but related traditions", Bock. Matthew has "works, actions" to Luke's "children", and Luke adds "all" (Luke's inclusive style???).
Text - 7:18
Jesus and John the Baptist, v18-35. i] The Baptist's question, v18-23. The opinion, held by the common folk, that in Jesus a new prophet has appeared in Israel, prompts the Baptist to send a delegation to Jesus with a direct question "are you the one who is to come?" It is best to understand that John is presently faced with doubts concerning Jesus' person, and this due to the confusion presently gripping the populous. None-the-less, it is possible that John is just helping his disciple understand who Jesus is, or that this may be the first time John has considered that Jesus may be the messiah - both seem unlikely.
Iwannh/ (hV ou) dat. "him" - [and the disciples of him reported] to john. Dative of indirect object.
peri + gen. "about" - about, concerning [these things]. Expressing reference / respect.
proskalesamenoV (proskalew) aor. mid. part. "calling" - [and john] having called, summoned. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to send", "called two of his disciples and sent them ...."
twn maqhtwn (hV ou) gen. "[two] of them" - [a certain two] of the disciples [of him]. The genitive is adjectival, partitive. Unlike Matthew, Luke specifies it is two disciples, possibly reflecting the traditional importance of two witnesses.
v19
The Baptist's question reflects his earlier prophecy concerning the one who is coming, one who is greater than he, 3:16. The coming-one can have a number of referents in the OT, but it is obviously used here of the messiah, Hab.2:3, Mal.3:1, Dan.7:13.
legwn (legw) pres. part. "to ask" - [sent to the lord] saying. Adverbial, probably final, expressing purpose; "in order to say = ask"; "with a question", Rieu. Note that a variant "Jesus" exists instead of "Lord", but although the Baptist has doubts, Luke hasn't, so Marshall. Luke uses kurioV with the sense "messiah", 2:11; It is his favourite post-resurrection title for Jesus.
oJ ercomenoV (ercomai) pres. mid. part. "the one who is to come" - [you are] the one coming. The participle serves as a substantive, predicate nominative.
prosdokwmen (prosdokaw) pres. subj. "should we expect" - [or] should we be looking for, waiting for, expecting [another]? Deliberative subjunctive.
v20
With this verse and the next, Luke expands on Matthew's received tradition. In this verse, he emphasises the Baptist's question by repeating it.
paragenomenoi (paraginomai) aor. mid. part. "came" - [but/and the men] having come [toward him said]. The participle is adverbial, probably best treated as temporal, as NIV.
legwn (legw) pres. part. "to ask" - [john the baptist sent us toward you] saying. Again, the participle is adverbial, probably final, expressing purpose, "in order to say = ask."
prosdokwmen (prosdokaw) pres. subj. "should we expect" - [are you the one coming or] should we look [for another]. Deliberative subjunctive.
v21
Luke describes the signs and wonders performed by Jesus to give weight to the report that Jesus will now send back to the Baptist.
en + dat. "at" - in [that hour]. Temporal use of the preposition; "just then ...."; "It was at that very time that Jesus was occupied ...", Cassirer.
apo + gen. "-" - [he healed many] from [diseases and afflictions and evil spirits]. Expressing separation; "away from." Note that we would expect the imperfect tense for the verb "to heal", given that Luke seems to be providing background information, but he has chosen an aorist. So, as part of the narrative, Jesus is actually performing these miracles when the Baptist's disciples arrive on the scene.
blepein (blepw) pres. inf. "sight" - [and he granted] to see. Introducing an object clause / dependent statement of cause, expressing what Jesus granted.
tufloiV adj. "blind" - to [many] blind people. The adjective serves as a substantive, dative of indirect object.
v22
The Baptist's disciples are to report on the messianic signs performed by Jesus, as outlined in Jesus' reference to Isaiah 61:1-2, 4:18-19, even the raising of the dead, cf., Isa.26:19. And to top it all off, the "poor are brought important news." As already indicated, 6:20, "the poor" are the lost broken remnant of Israel who, with the faith of Abraham, hunger and thirst, waiting expectantly for the fulfilment of the God's covenant promises. The important news, euaggalion, of course, is that the long-promised day has dawned, the messianic age has arrived, the kingdom of God is at hand.
apokriqeiV (apokrinomai) aor. pas. part. "he replied" - [and] having answered [he said to them]. Attendant circumstance participle; see apokriqeiV, 1:19.
poreuqenteV (poreuomai) aor. pas. part. "go back" - having gone [report to john what you saw and heard, blind receive sight, lame walk, lepers are cleansed]. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the verb "to hear"; "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard", ESV.
kai "-" - and [deaf hear, dead are raised, poor are brought important news]. The use here is coordinate, forming two lists of three - a stylistic construction, even somewhat rhythmic. Interestingly, Matthew uses kai between each noun. It is unclear whether this construction derives from the Aramaic (used as a memory device), or is crafted by Luke in the Greek.
v23
Here, this blessing is more than a declaration of divine favour, it also carries a warning. The verb skandalizw takes two basic meanings, "to stumble" and "to offend". So, here in the passive we have the sense, "blessed is the one who does not stumble" or "blessed is the one who is not offended", nicely brought together as "blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me", NIV (not improved by the NIV11, "stumble"). Given the messianic signs now present in the ministry of Jesus, the person who receives God's blessing is the person who sees them as genuine evidence of the realisation of the kingdom in and through Jesus. Those who are lost to God's blessings are those who "are tripped up / are scandalised" by the fact that Jesus is not acting to restore the state of Israel, or bring judgment upon the nations.
o}V ean + subj. "anyone who" - [and blessed is] whoever [does not take offence]. This construction introduces an indefinite relative clause, here headless. It is virtually conditional, "whoever, as the case may be, does not take offence, then blessed is he."
en + dat. "on account of [me]" - in [me]. The use of the preposition here is adverbial, possibly reference / respect, "with reference to me", although probably better, causal, "because of me."
v24
ii] John's place in the messianic age, v24-30: a) John: "A prophet, and yes, more than a prophet", v24-28. Luke's received tradition now details how John the Baptist fulfils Malachi 3:1.
There is a textual issue concerning punctuation and qeasasqai, "to see", either "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed .......?", or "why did you go out into the wilderness? To see a reed shaken in the wind?" The interrogative pronoun tiv can be either "what" or "why". As for the question "A reed shaken by the wind?", it can imply a positive or negative response. Yes, they went out to see an insignificant person in comparison to Jesus - a reed compared to a tree. But better, of course they didn't go out to see an insignificant person - John is no shaking reed.
de "-" - but/and. Transitional, indicating a step in the narrative.
apolqontwn (apercomai) aor. part. "After [John's messengers] left" - [the messengers of john] were departing. The genitive participle and its genitive subject "messengers" forms a genitive absolute construction, temporal, as NIV.
legein (legw) pres. inf. "to speak" - [he began] to say [toward the crowds]. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "to begin."
tiv pro. "what" - what / why [did you go out into the wilderness]. The pronoun may serve as a substantive, accusative direct object of the verb "went out", "What", or adverbial, "Why", depending on punctuation, as above.
qeasasqai (qeaomai) aor. inf. "to see" - to see. The infinitive is adverbial, final, expressing purpose; "in order to see."
uJpo + gen. "by" - [did you go out to see a reed being shaken] by [wind]? Instrumental, here expressing agency.
v25
The question again may imply a positive or negative answer, but negative is likely; "Did you head out into the bush to meet a fine gentleman? Of course not; they operate in the halls of power." Interestingly, Luke hasn't mentioned the Baptist's clothing, cf., Mk.1:6. Unlike v24, Jesus answers his question.
alla "if not" - but. Serving to introduce a counterpoint; "but if not that, then what did you go out to see?"
idein (oJraw) aor. inf. "to see" - [what did you go out] to see? The infinitive is adverbial, final, expressing purpose; "in order to see."
hmfiesmenon (amfiennumi) perf. mid. part. "dressed" - [a man] having been dressed. The participle is probably adjectival, attributive, limiting "a man"; "a man who is dressed in fancy apparel."
en + dat. "in" - in [fancy, soft, fine clothing]? Local, expressing a state or condition. "In splendid clothing and luxury", Thompson.
oiJ .... uJparconteV (uJparcw) pres. part. "those who" - [behold] the ones existing = living [in fancy garments and luxury]. The participle serves as a substantive, nominative subject of the verb to-be.
en + dat. "in" - [are] in [the palaces]. Local, expressing space / place.
v26
Jesus again answers his question. Yes, the people went out to see a prophet, but as it turned out, they saw more than a prophet, v27.
alla "but" - but. Adversative; see v26.
uJin dat. pro. "[I tell] you" - [what did you go out to see? a prophet? yes, i say] to you. Dative of indirect object.
profhtou (hV ou) gen. "[more] than a prophet" - [and more] of a prophet. Genitive of comparison after the comparative adverb perissoteron, "more, greater."
v27
Malachi 3:1, serving to indicate John's role of preparing for the coming of "you". In the original text it is "I the Lord = YHWH, will send my messenger (Elijah = John) to prepare the way for me", ie., the coming of YHWH, Lord, is replaced here by Jesus the messiah.
peri + gen. "about [whom]" - [this one is] about, concerning [whom it has been written]. Here expressing reference / respect.
mou gen. pro. "my [messenger]" - [behold, i send the messenger] of me. The genitive is possibly possessive, as NIV, or ablative, source / origin, "from me."
pro + gen. "ahead of [you]" - before [the face of you]. Spatial. "I'm sending my messenger on ahead to make the road smooth for you", Peterson.
sou gen. pro. "your [way]" - [who will prepare the way] of you [before, in front of you]. The genitive is adjectival, possessive, as NIV, or possibly idiomatic, "the way = path, road you are going to travel"; "to get things ready for you", CEV. The imagery of road building is derived from the Assyrians and Babylonians who were great road builders for commercial and military purposes. So, the idea is of building an expressway to hasten the arrival of the messiah - a straight and level roadway.
v28
Obviously, the saying does not include Jesus in the comparison, so, of all people who have walked on this earth, excluding Jesus, the Baptist is the greatest; "no greater figure than John has ever emerged in history", Barclay. Yet, when it comes to comparing life on earth, and life in the kingdom of God, even the lowest and most ineffective member of the kingdom transcends the greatest figure who has ever emerged in human history. True greatness is found through faith in Christ.
uJmin dat. pro. "you" - [i say] to you. Dative of indirect object.
gunaikwn (h koV) gen. "of women" - [among ones born] of women. The genitive is ablative, expressing source / origin, "from women"; "among those born of women."
Iwannou (oV) gen. "[greater] than John" - [no on is greater] of john. The genitive is ablative, of comparison, after the comparative predicate adjective meizwn, "greater"; "greater than John."
oJ ... mikroteroV comp. adj. "least" - [but/and] the lesser / least. The NIV, as with most translations, takes this comparative as a superlative, given that the superlative form was no longer being commonly used. None-the-less, a comparative may be intended, so Plummer; "an insignificant person in the kingdom is more significant than the greatest of prophets." A superlative translation seems best; "He who holds the lowest place of all in the kingdom of God is greater than he", Cassirer. Status is not realised by works, but by the age with which a person associates - this age, or the messianic age of the kingdom. The greatest man of this age was the Baptist, for he was the prophet who prepared for the coming of the messiah. Yet, even he cannot be compared with the most insignificant member of the messianic age of the kingdom. Of course, great though he was, he was happily "poor". There can be little doubt that the Baptist's faith in Jesus held firm through his ordeal.
tou qeou (oV) gen. "of God" - [in the kingdom] of god. The genitive is adjectival, possessive, or verbal, subjective. See tou qeou 4:43
autou gen. pro. "than he" - [is greater] of he. As Iwannou above.
v29
b) Analysis of the crowd's response to John, v29-30: This editorial comment is peculiar to Luke. When it comes to the ministry of John the Baptist, the common folk respond to the Baptist positively and accept his baptism. The religious authorities, on the other hand, reject the Baptist's message and do not accept his baptism.
akousaV (akouw) aor. part. "when they heard" - [and all the people and the tax collectors] having listened. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal, as NIV.
edikaiwsan (dikaiow) aor. "acknowledged that [God's] was was right" - justified [god]. Obviously used in a forensic sense, acknowledged that God is right / in the right with respect to the message communicated by the Baptist, probably specifically the announcement of the coming kingdom and the offer of forgiveness for those who seek to enter it. So, the outsiders responded positively to God's message conveyed by John and demonstrated this in the act of water baptism; "they heard John, acknowledged God, and were baptised by his baptism", Phillips
baptisqenteV (baptizw) aor. pas. part. "because they had been baptised" - having been baptised. The participle is adverbial, possibly means, "by means of", so Bock, or cause, as NIV, so Marshall, possibly even temporal, "when they accepted baptism by John", Rieu, or even consecutive, expressing result, "and as a result were baptised by John", cf., Phillips.
to baptisma (a atoV) acc. "-" - with the baptism. This accusative is typically classified as an accusative of content. Wallace classifies it as an accusative or retained object, p.197, 438, cf., BDF #159, but Culy argues that it as a cognate accusative, p.236 .
Iwannou (oV) gen. "by John" - of john. The genitive is adjectival, usually treated as verbal, subjective, as NIV; "with the baptism performed by John."
v30
tou qeou "God's [purposes]" - [but/and the pharisees and the teachers of the law reject the counsel, intention, plan, purposes] of god. The genitive is adjectival, possessive, or verbal, subjective.
eiV + acc. "for" - into, to [themselves]. Adverbial, probably reference / respect, as NIV; "so far as it concerns themselves", Creed.
baptisqenteV (baptizw) aor. pas. part. "because they had [not] been baptized" - [not] having been baptised. The participle is adverbial, best treated as causal, as NIV.
uJp (uJpo) + gen. "by" - by [john]. Instrumental, expressing agency.
v31
iii] Jesus' assessment of the sinful generation, v31-35: Jesus addresses the fickle nature of those who reject the news of God's mercy - his offer of forgiveness, and thus entry into the kingdom of God. In the present context, "the Pharisees and the experts in the law" are those who reject the news; they are "this generation", "the children of this generation", 16:8, as compared with "the children of light", 16:8, "the poor", those who repent and believe. For the religious elite, a repentance for the forgiveness of sins is an unnecessary requirement, given that they are the righteous who keep the law. Their critique of both the Baptist and Jesus evidences their flawed thinking.
oun "Jesus went on to say" - therefore. Here transitional, indicating a step in the narrative, but also with an inferential sense, drawing a logical conclusion; "In view of all this ....", Barclay.
tini dat. pro. "To what" - to what [will i compare]. The interrogative pronoun with the verb "to compare" takes a dative. Note that the verb uses the future tense in place of a hortatory subjunctive.
thV geneaV (a) gen. "of [this] generation" - [the men] of [this] generation? The genitive is adjectival, possessive / idiomatic, limiting "men", "the people who belong to / associate with this sinful generation." The sinful generation are the people of any era who do not trust their creator God; "What are you people like? What kind of people are you?" CEV.
tini dat. pro. "What" - [and] to what [are they like]? As for tini above. Very similar to the short-talk (semantic density) used to introduce a parable. "The sinful generation of which I have been speaking may be compared to the situation that often arises when children are at play in the marketplace."
v32
The illustration is best not treated allegorically where the different groups of children represent this or that / these or those. The illustration describes a situation created by a flawed humanity. "This generation" is like a group of fickle children who can't settle on what game to play, whatever the game - either a wedding game, or a funeral game.
paidioiV (on) dat. "children" - [they are like] children. Dative complement of the adjective "like, similar" / Dative of comparison.
toiV .... kaqhmenoiV (kaqhmai) dat. pres. mid. part. "sitting" - the ones sitting [in the market and calling out]. The participle, as with "calling out", is adjectival, attributive, limiting "children", and dative in agreement.
allhloiV dat. pro. "to each other" - to one another. Dative of direct object after the proV prefix verb "to call out to."
a} pro. "-" - which [says]. The relative neuter pronoun refers forward to what the children said.
uJmin dat. pro. "for you" - [we played the flute] to you [and you did not dance, we sang a dirge, funeral song, and you did not weep]. Dative of interest, advantage.
v33
John the Baptist proclaimed the coming kingdom while living the life-style of an ascetic, and the sinful generation rejected him as crazy. Jesus, on the other hand, proclaimed the coming kingdom while living the life-style of an everyday citizen, and the sinful generation rejected him as worldly. Given the contrary / fickle conclusions, maybe the problem doesn't lie with the preacher.
gar "for" - for. More reason than cause, introducing an application / explanation of the illustration.
mh esqiwn (esqiw) pes. part. "neither eating" - [john the baptist has come] not eating [and not drinking wine, and you say he has a demon]. This participle, as with "drinking", is adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of John's coming. "John the baptiser came fasting and you called him crazy", Peterson.
v34
tou anqrwpou (oV) gen. "[The Son] of Man" - [the son] of man. The genitive is adjectival, relational; See oJ uiJoV tou anqrwpou, 5:24.
esqiwn (esqiw) pres. part. "eating" - [has come] eating [and drinking and you say, behold]. The participle, as for "drinking", is adverbial, modal, expressing manner.
fagoV (oV) "here is a glutton" - [a man] a glutton [and a drunkard]. The two nominative nouns stand in apposition to the nominative subject "man", or possibly as predicate nominatives of an assumed verb to-be; "a man who is a glutton and drunkard."
telwnwn (hV ou) gen. "tax collectors" - [a friend] of tax collectors [and sinners]. The genitive is adjectival, relational.
v35
This saying of Jesus, which may have attached during the period of oral transmission, or was used by Jesus on this occasion, sums up the episode. As is common in Jewish wisdom tradition, "wisdom", namely the truth communicated by God / divine doctrine / the Word of God, is personified. To the Jewish mind of the time, she is a divine agent in heaven who expresses the mind of God to humanity, and in the end, is God himself. This wisdom is justified to her children, ie., "the rightness of God's plan is demonstrated by those who accept it", Marshall - see 7:29 for "the poor" who edikaiwsan ton qeon, "justified God". By hearing the voice of wisdom in and through the ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus, and judging it to be right (ie. they edikaiwqh hJ sofia, "justify the wisdom"), "the poor" align themselves with what they perceive as truth, so Nolland.
apo "by" - [and wisdom was justified] from [all the children of her]. As Marshall notes the preposition can be taken a number of ways: Separation, "away from, over against" - "wisdom is justified despite her children who have rejected her", so Dibelius; Cause, "on account of, because, in view of" - the works of wisdom are evidence that the kingdom is at hand, so Jeremias (fits Matthew best); Agency, where apo is used instead of uJpo, "by" - "the claims of wisdom are proved to be true by her children", Marshall, and most commentators.
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