Friday, May 22 — We Played the Flute for You
Jesus is calling out a crowd that can't be pleased. John was too austere; Jesus was too celebratory. Sometimes the problem isn't the music — it's the people refusing to dance.
Matthew 11:7-11, 16-19 — KJV 7 And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 8 But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. … 16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
Matthew 11:7-11, 16-19 — WEB 7 As these went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John, "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 But why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. 10 For this is he, of whom it is written, 'Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.' 11 Most certainly I tell you, among those who are born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptizer; yet he who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he. … 16 "But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call to their companions 17 and say, 'We played the flute for you, and you didn't dance. We mourned for you, and you didn't lament.' 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children."
Explanation
Jesus offers one of his sharpest pieces of social commentary in these verses, and he does it with a children's playground in mind. Picture a marketplace in a Galilean village. Kids are out there trying to play games. Some of them start a wedding game — they pull out the flutes, they call to their friends to come dance. The friends sit and stare. So they switch. They start a funeral game — they wail and mourn and call to their friends to come weep with them. The friends still sit and stare. Whatever the rest of them try, the cool kids on the side won't engage.
That, Jesus says, is the spiritual posture of his generation toward God's messengers.
Look how he sets it up. John the Baptist came as the funeral. He lived in the wilderness. He didn't drink. He didn't eat regular food. He preached repentance with locusts in his beard and called the religious leaders a brood of vipers. And what did people say? He has a demon. He's too extreme. Too dark. Too weird.
Then Jesus came as the wedding. He went to dinner parties. He sat down with tax collectors. He let people pour expensive perfume on him. He laughed. He ate. He drank. And what did people say? Look at him. A glutton. A drunkard. A friend of sinners. He's too loose. Too celebratory. Too suspicious.
The point is not that John was wrong or Jesus was wrong. The point is that some people will refuse to be moved either way. They have made cynicism a permanent posture. Whatever invitation God sends — to repent or to feast, to grieve or to celebrate — they sit on the sidelines and criticize the people who actually got up.
This matters for our week on recreation. Because we live in a generation that is a lot like the marketplace kids. We've grown skeptical of celebration. We've grown skeptical of repentance. We've grown skeptical of joy and we've grown skeptical of grief. We can find a reason to criticize anyone who is fully present to the moment — whether they're weeping or dancing.
Jesus's last line is the one I'd hold onto: wisdom is justified by her children. In other words: don't worry about what the cynics say. The proof of God's wisdom is the fruit it bears in the lives of those who actually take him at his word.
So when God's flute plays this week — and it might play through a friend, a meal, a song, a Sunday service — get up. Dance. Don't sit on the sidelines waiting for the perfect circumstances. The music is real. The invitation is real. Your joy is part of how God's wisdom shows up in the world.
Thought for the Day The music is playing. Don't let cynics keep you sitting down.
Reflection Question Where has cynicism convinced you to sit out an invitation God is actually extending?
Prayer Lord, guard us from the spirit of the marketplace — that constant, tired, critical voice that finds something wrong with every invitation you send. When you call us to repent, give us tender hearts. When you call us to celebrate, give us our voices back. Help us hear your music wherever it plays today, and let us be the kind of people who get up and dance. Amen.
This week we walk toward Sunday's lesson: The Christian View of Recreation.