Parable of the Sulking
Children
Luke 7: 31-35
"To what
then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? They
are like children sitting in the market place and calling to one another, `We
piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not weep.' For John
the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine; and you say, `He has
a demon.' The Son of man has come eating and drinking; and you say, `Behold, a
glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by all her
children."
Explanation/Meaning:
What do
children’s games have to do with the kingdom of God? The children in Jesus' parable react with
disappoint because they cannot induce anyone to join in their musical
medley. They complain that if they play
their music at weddings, no one will dance or sing; and if they play at
funerals, it is the same. This refrain
echoes the words of Ecclesiastes 3:4 -- there is a time to weep and a time to
laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance. Jesus' message of the kingdom of
God is a proclamation of good news and of great joy for those who will listen;
but it is also a warning for those who refuse.
Why did the message of John the Baptist and the message of Jesus meet
with resistance and deaf ears? It was
out of jealously and spiritual blindness that the scribes and Pharisees
attributed John the Baptist's austerities to the devil and they attributed
Jesus' table fellowship as evidence for messianic pretense. They succeeded in
frustrating God's plan for their lives because they had closed their hearts to
the message of John the Baptist and now
to Jesus. What can make us spiritually dull and slow to hear God's voice? Like the generation of Jesus' time, our age
is marked by indifference and contempt, especially in regards to the things of
heaven. Indifference dulls our ears to
God's voice and to the good news of the gospel. Only the humble of heart can find joy in
God's grace and favor. Do you know the joy of the gospel?
"Lord,
open my ears to hear the good news of your kingdom and set my heart free to
love and serve you joyfully. May nothing
keep me from following you wholeheartedly.
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