"To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:
"'We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not cry.' (Luke 7:31-32)
Jesus is speaking to a crowd well sprinkled with religious leaders. Pharisees and scribes were starting to taking aim on his head, listening to his teachings and utterly rejecting them as alien to their own traditions. Jesus responds with this fascinating comparison.
Many people gathered in the marketplace in that day. It was a place of activity and security. But can you imagine children sitting in a marketplace? I can see them running, playing games together, laughing, wrestling – but not sitting on the sidelines calling out to each other. They join in the fun!
After that jarring beginning, Jesus adds in a little chant: we played the flute and you didn’t dance. We played a dirge and you didn’t cry.
He’s saying, you did not join in. Immediately before this account, we can read how many people had followed John the Baptist but the Pharisees had not. Many had accepted John’s message to repent but the Pharisees had rejected that message. They held themselves aloof.
Dance here symbolizes joy in living, a freedom to enjoy God’s material gifts and to enjoy the company of all people, sinners included. Jesus is making a strong statement about the religious leaders who refuse to join the dance. They refuse to mourn with the mourners. They are aloof, assuming their separation makes them holy.
Jesus suggests their attitude is as unnatural as children sitting on the sidelines. Why hold back when it’s time to celebrate? The religious leaders refuse to join the celebration, condemning what others were celebrating.
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