Matthew 11:19 (YLT)

Passage

the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Lo, a man, a glutton, and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners, and wisdom was justified of her children.'

Nearby Context

Matthew 11:17 and saying, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance, we lamented to you, and ye did not smite the breast.

Matthew 11:18 `For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a demon;

Matthew 11:19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Lo, a man, a glutton, and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners, and wisdom was justified of her children.'

Matthew 11:20 Then began he to reproach the cities in which were done most of his mighty works, because they did not reform.

Matthew 11:21 `Woe to thee, Chorazin! woe to thee, Bethsaida! because, if in Tyre and Sidon had been done the mighty works that were done in you, long ago in sackcloth and ashes they had reformed;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "justified", "came", "eating", "drinking", "glutton", "wine-drinker", "friend", and "tax-gatherers". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "justified" and "came", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "For John came neither eating nor drinking..." into verse 20's "Then began he to reproach the cities...", so "justified" and "came" 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 "justified" and "came" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.