What does Luke 7:25 mean?

Jesus presents the second of three options regarding the nature of John the Baptist. When the people went out to see John, what did they expect? Most scholars agree that the comparison phrased in this passage is to be taken literally. The people did not go out to look at plants (Luke 7:24), nor did they go to see a man dressed in expensive, comfortable clothing. They met a man who wore clothes made of camel hair tied with a leather belt (Mark 1:6). John's asceticism sets up Jesus' comparison between John and Himself in Luke 7:32–34.

It's still possible Jesus is using a metaphor. As the "reed" may have represented unreliable, easily swayed teachers, He could be referring to people with power and money: those who wear fine robes, like priests (Exodus 39:24), kings (1 Chronicles 15:27), Levites (2 Chronicles 5:12), or courtiers (Esther 8:15). Jesus' audience, many of whom were baptized by John, did not go into the wilderness to see an honored nobleman or a leader of the religious establishment. They went to see a prophet—a prophet whose lifestyle was so austere and his message so harsh that many of the powerful in society rejected him (Luke 3:19–20; 7:30, 33).