en_tn_condensed/luk/07/24.md

Connecting Statement:

Jesus begins to speak to the crowd about John the Baptist. He asks rhetorical questions to lead them to think about what John the Baptist is really like.

What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

This expects a negative answer. These questions can be written as a question with an answer or as a statement. Alternate translation: "Did you go out to see a reed shaken by the wind? Of course not!" or "Surely you did not go out to see a reed being shaken by the wind!" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-rquestion)

A reed shaken by the wind

Possible meanings of this metaphor are 1) a person who easily changes his mind, as reeds are easily moved by the wind, or 2) a person who talks a lot but does not say anything important, as reeds rattle when the wind blows. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)