Matthew 11:18 (DBY)

Passage

For John has come neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He has a demon.

Nearby Context

Matthew 11:16 But to whom shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the markets, which, calling to their companions,

Matthew 11:17 say, We have piped to you, and ye have not danced: we have mourned to you, and ye have not wailed.

Matthew 11:18 For John has come neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He has a demon.

Matthew 11:19 The Son of man has come eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a man [that is] eating and wine-drinking, a friend of tax-gatherers, and of sinners: and wisdom has been justified by her children.

Matthew 11:20 Then began he to reproach the cities in which most of his works of power had taken place, because they had not repented.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "john", "come", "neither", "eating", "drinking", and "demon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "john" and "come", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "say We have piped to you and..." into verse 19's "The Son of man has come eating...", so "john" and "come" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "john" and "come" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.