After Jesus takes them through the logical steps of…
John says he’s a prophet
You recognize John as a prophet, and admit as such
John prophecies that I’m the One who is to come
I have done the works prophesied in the Scriptures for the One who is to come
But you don’t believe I’m the One who is to come. Uh, does anyone notice the disconnect?
So, Jesus picks up that theme: “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; ?we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ ” They’re childish: full of whimsical inconsistencies in their faultfinding, given to exaggeration, and immature. How so? They want their Messiah to be predictable, to meet THEIR expectations, and to jump at their command. Notice it’s all centered around “me”: what I want and what I expect. Please me. Appeal to me. Fit into my boxes. Suit my logic and my sensibilities. And since everyone has different expectations, it’s an impossible situation. You can’t please all the people all the time, but they’ll turn on you if you don’t.
They’re like children: complaining, making fun, short attention span, intolerant, and self-oriented. Jesus doesn’t fall for it, and he’ll have none of it.
“John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ” Oh, I get it. If he doesn’t do what the rest of us do, he isn’t normal. You have to party, eat, drink, and play, something is WRONG with you. Hey, we all do it. Get with the program!
But Jesus came eating and drinking and playing, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ Wait a minute. So if I don’t party, eat, and drink, there’s something wrong with me. But if I do party, eat, drink, and play, you criticize me because I’m supposed to be a RELIGIOUS person????? Uh, does anyone notice the disconnect?
“Wisdom is proved right by all her children.” You know what? Jesus doesn’t have to conform to their petty boxes or their incomplete logic. He has the right motives. He lives out his beliefs consistently. He is not bound by their preconceptions, their notions, their expectations, their demands, or their criticisms. He knows in the end He will be proved.