Matthew 11:16-19 16But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to others saying, 17“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.” 18For 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, “Look, a man who is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is justified by its works.
Jesus just spoke of the greatness of those who become part of God’s kingdom, but in his next breath, pronounces woe to that generation. They were hearing, seeing, and experiencing the coming kingdom through his ministry yet were like the former generations that rejected God’s purposes and turned to their own ways. John came preparing the way by calling people to repent, but they refused to turn from wickedness.
Jesus gives the image of children playing games at a wedding and funeral. Kids often get bored at these events and make sing-song games. They made music but no one listened to them. The joy of the kingdom had come in Jesus, but no one was rejoicing. John brought a message of repentance, but no one responded in faith. It was as if the people were deaf. John’s life was evidence that God was with him, but many people missed God’s message because they ignored the messenger. John did not fit their expectations of a prophet with his simple lifestyle . They even went as far as to accuse him of being demon possessed because of his strange (against culture) behavior.
Jesus came with a message of joy and hope. He brought healing and new life. He cared for those rejected by society and who were in desperate need for a change for a better life. One of the most powerful words of hope is given in verse 19: friend. Jesus came as a friend to those ostracized by others. He hung out with the unloveable and rejected. He intervened in the situations of those who had ruined their lives or trapped by addiction and greed. The Jewish leaders and unbelieving crowds should have seen the evidence of God’s grace at work in Jesus, but they were blinded by their own religiosity and prejudices.
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