How does Matthew 11:17 illustrate people's response to Jesus' message and ministry? Setting the scene Matthew 11 records Jesus praising John the Baptist, then lamenting the crowd’s stubbornness. Verse 17 captures His diagnosis in a single children’s rhyme: “ ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ ” What the children’s rhyme reveals • First image—joyful music: children invite a wedding dance, yet no one responds • Second image—funeral lament: they shift to mourning, still no response • Point: whatever tune is offered, the crowd remains unmoved; their issue is not the music but the will Two messengers, two rejections • John the Baptist: austere, wilderness preacher, “neither eating nor drinking” (v.18) – Crowd’s verdict: “He has a demon.” • Jesus: sharing meals, turning water into wine, welcoming sinners, “eating and drinking” (v.19) – Crowd’s verdict: “Look, a glutton and a drunkard.” ▶ Opposite styles, identical rejection—proving hardness of heart, not inadequacy of the messengers Heart attitudes exposed • Fickleness—demanding God adjust to personal preference • Self-righteousness—refusing both repentance (John) and grace (Jesus) • Cynicism—finding fault with any divine approach • Unbelief—evidence and invitation ignored because the will resists surrender Timeless application • Truth remains unchanged whether delivered with thunder or tenderness • The gospel confronts every heart; response reveals the heart, not the messenger • Indifference to God’s “tunes” today—sermons, Scripture, testimonies—mirrors the crowd’s silence then • Wisdom (“wisdom is vindicated by her actions,” v.19) proves itself by those who believe and obey Supporting Scriptures • Parallel account: Luke 7:31-35 • General rejection: John 1:11; Isaiah 53:3 • Heart unwilling to hear: Zechariah 7:11-12 • Modern warning: 2 Timothy 4:3—“people will not tolerate sound doctrine” |
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