Luke 7:32
They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.'
They are like children
In this phrase, Jesus begins a parable to describe the generation's response to both John the Baptist and Himself. The Greek word for "children" here is "παιδίοις" (paidiois), which refers to young children, often emphasizing their immaturity and lack of understanding. In the cultural context of the time, children were seen as those who needed guidance and instruction, highlighting the spiritual immaturity of the people who failed to recognize the significance of John's and Jesus' ministries.

sitting in the marketplace
The "marketplace" or "ἀγορά" (agora) was the central public space in ancient towns where people gathered for various activities, including commerce, socializing, and public discourse. This setting is significant as it represents a place of public interaction and decision-making. Jesus uses this imagery to illustrate how the people, despite being in a place where they could hear and respond to the message, remain indifferent and unresponsive.

calling out to one another
The phrase "calling out" comes from the Greek "προσφωνοῦντα" (prosphonounta), which means to address or speak to someone. This action of calling out signifies an attempt to communicate or engage with others. In the context of the parable, it reflects the efforts of both John and Jesus to reach out to the people with their messages of repentance and salvation.

‘We played the flute for you
The act of playing the flute, "αὐλέω" (auleo), is symbolic of a joyful or celebratory invitation. In ancient Jewish culture, music was often associated with weddings and celebrations. Here, it represents the joyful message of the kingdom of God that Jesus brought. However, the people's lack of response to this joyous call highlights their spiritual deafness and unwillingness to embrace the good news.

and you did not dance
"Dance" or "ὀρχέομαι" (orcheomai) signifies a response to music, typically one of joy and celebration. The absence of dancing indicates a refusal to participate or engage with the message being offered. This lack of response to Jesus' message of joy and salvation underscores the people's stubbornness and resistance to change.

we sang a dirge
A "dirge" or "θρηνέω" (threneo) is a lament or mournful song, often associated with funerals. This contrasts with the previous joyful imagery and represents the somber message of repentance and judgment that John the Baptist preached. The use of both joyful and mournful imagery in the parable highlights the comprehensive nature of God's message, which includes both celebration and repentance.

and you did not weep.’
To "weep" or "κλαίω" (klaio) is to express sorrow or repentance. The failure to weep in response to the dirge signifies a lack of contrition or acknowledgment of sin. This reflects the people's hard-heartedness and unwillingness to repent despite the clear call to do so through John's ministry. The overall message of the verse is a critique of the generation's spiritual apathy and their failure to respond appropriately to God's diverse and persistent calls to them.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus Christ
The speaker of this parable, Jesus uses this analogy to describe the generation's response to both His ministry and that of John the Baptist.

2. Children in the Marketplace
Represents the people of Jesus' generation who are compared to children who are dissatisfied regardless of the situation.

3. John the Baptist
His ascetic lifestyle and call to repentance are part of the context, as he is contrasted with Jesus' more celebratory approach.

4. The Marketplace
A public place where people gather, symbolizing the public nature of Jesus' and John’s ministries.

5. The Generation
The people of Jesus' time who are being critiqued for their lack of response to both John the Baptist and Jesus.
Teaching Points
Understanding Spiritual Indifference
The parable highlights the spiritual indifference and critical nature of the people who neither accepted John’s call to repentance nor Jesus’ message of grace.

Recognizing the Signs of the Times
Just as the people failed to recognize the significance of John and Jesus, we must be attentive to God’s work in our own time.

Responding to God’s Call
The parable challenges us to respond appropriately to God’s call, whether it comes in a form that is comfortable or challenging to us.

Avoiding a Critical Spirit
The generation’s critical spirit serves as a warning against being overly critical and missing God’s work due to preconceived notions.

Embracing Both Repentance and Joy
The contrasting images of dancing and weeping remind us of the balance between repentance and the joy of salvation in the Christian life.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the analogy of children in the marketplace reflect the attitudes of people towards Jesus and John the Baptist?

2. In what ways can we be like the children in the marketplace, missing God’s work due to our expectations or indifference?

3. How can we discern the appropriate response to God’s call in our lives, whether it is a time for repentance or celebration?

4. What are some modern-day examples of spiritual indifference, and how can we guard against them in our own lives?

5. How do the contrasting responses of dancing and weeping relate to the broader message of the Gospel, and how can we apply this balance in our daily walk with Christ?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 11:16-19
This passage parallels Luke 7:32, providing additional context to Jesus' critique of the generation's response to Him and John the Baptist.

Ecclesiastes 3:4
This verse speaks of a time to weep and a time to dance, which connects to the contrasting reactions expected by the children in the parable.

Isaiah 53:3
This prophecy about the Messiah being despised and rejected connects to the rejection Jesus faced, as highlighted in this parable.
The Deputation from JohnR.M. Edgar Luke 7:18-35
Children At PlayS. Cox, D. D.Luke 7:31-34
Children Sitting in the Market-PlaceB. Keach.Luke 7:31-34
Christian Abstinence and ParticipationW. Clarkson Luke 7:31-34
Criticism EasyLuke 7:31-34
Divine FriendshipW. H. H. Murray.Luke 7:31-34
Fickleness and Folly in Dealing with Religion and its Professors and TeachersJ. R. Bailey.Luke 7:31-34
On Profaneness to Disparage Religious CharactersT. Gisborne.Luke 7:31-34
On the Impossibility of Pleasing EverybodyA. F, Barfield.Luke 7:31-34
Sinners Wilful and PerverseE. Payson, D. D.Luke 7:31-34
The Baptist and ChristStowford A. Brooke, M. A.Luke 7:31-34
The Sanctity of the Common LifeArchdeacon Farrar.Luke 7:31-34
The Son of ManLuke 7:31-34
The Son of ManA. M. Fairbairn, D. D.Luke 7:31-34
The Success of the GospelR. Sibbes, D. D.Luke 7:31-34
The Use of the WorldA. W. Momerie, M. A. , D. D.Luke 7:31-34
Transition PeriodsJames Freeman Clarke.Luke 7:31-34
Unfair Objections are Often Prompted by SelfishnessDr. Talmage.Luke 7:31-34
People
Jesus, John, Simon
Places
Capernaum, Galilee, Judea, Nain
Topics
Calling, Cries, Cry, Crying, Dance, Danced, Didn't, Dirge, Dirges, Flute, Market, Marketplace, Market-place, Mourned, Music, Piped, Played, Public, Sad, Sang, Saying, Seated, Shown, Sit, Sitting, Sorrow, Square, Sung, Wailed, Weep, Wept
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Luke 7:32

     5287   dance
     5314   flute
     5387   leisure, pastimes
     5402   market

Luke 7:31-35

     5881   immaturity

Library
June 10 Evening
As Christ forgave you, so also do ye.--COL. 3:13. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both.--I forgave thee all that debt; shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive,
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

Greatness in the Kingdom
'He that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.'--LUKE vii. 28. We were speaking in a preceding sermon about the elements of true greatness, as represented in the life and character of John the Baptist. As we remarked then, our Lord poured unstinted eulogium upon the head of John, in the audience of the people, at the very moment when he showed himself weakest. 'None born of women' was, in Christ's eyes, 'greater than John the Baptist.' The eulogium, authoritative as it was, was immediately
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Thwarting God's Purpose
'The Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of Him.' --LUKE vii. 30. Our Lord has just been pouring unstinted praise on the head of John the Baptist. The eulogium was tenderly timed, for it followed, and was occasioned by the expression, through messengers, of John's doubts of Christ's Messiahship. Lest these should shake the people's confidence in the Forerunner, and make them think of him as weak and shifting, Christ speaks of him in the glowing
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

A Gluttonous Man and a Winebibber
'The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!'--LUKE vii. 34. Jesus Christ very seldom took any notice of the mists of calumny that drifted round Him. 'When He was reviled He reviled not again.' If ever He did allude to them it was for the sake of the people who were harming themselves by uttering them. So here, without the slightest trace of irritation, He quotes a malignant charge which was evidently in the
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Worthy-Not Worthy
'... They besought Him ... saying, That he was worthy for whom He should do this:... 6. I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof: 7. Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto Thee....' --LUKE vii. 4. 6. 7. A Roman centurion, who could induce the elders of a Jewish village to approach Jesus on his behalf, must have been a remarkable person. The garrison which held down a turbulent people was not usually likely to be much loved by them. But this man, about whom the incident
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Go into Peace
'And He said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee: go in peace.'--LUKE vii. 50. We find that our Lord twice, and twice only, employs this form of sending away those who had received benefits from His hand. On both occasions the words were addressed to women: once to this woman, who was a sinner, and who was gibbeted by the contempt of the Pharisee in whose house the Lord was; and once to that poor sufferer who stretched out a wasted hand to lay upon the hem of His garment, in the hope of getting
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Jesus at the Bier
'And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14. And He came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And He said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And He delivered him to his mother.'--LUKE vii. 13-15. We owe our knowledge of this incident to Luke only. He is the Evangelist who specially delights in recording the gracious relations of our Lord with women, and he is also the Evangelist who
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

John's Doubts and Christ's Praise
'And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things. 19. And John calling unto him two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou He that should come? or look we for another? 20. When the men were come unto Him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto Thee, saying, Art Thou He that should come? or look we for another? 21. And in the same hour He cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind He gave sight. 22. Then Jesus, answering,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

The Two Debtors
'There was a certain creditor which had two debtors; the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell Me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43. Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most.'--LUKE vii.41-43. We all know the lovely story in which this parable is embedded. A woman of notoriously bad character had somehow come in contact with Jesus Christ, and had by Him been aroused from her
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Forgiveness and Love.
TEXT: LUKE vii. 36-50. HOWEVER much admiration and honour was given to our Saviour by many of His contemporaries during His life on earth; however powerfully a yet greater number were struck, at least for the moment, by His exalted character; still just His greatest words and His noblest deeds often remained dark even to the noblest and best around Him, and seemed to the rest a piece of insolent pretension. When He spoke of His eternal relation to the Eternal Father, even His more intimate disciples
Friedrich Schleiermacher—Selected Sermons of Schleiermacher

On the Words of the Gospel, Luke vii. 2, Etc. ; on the Three Dead Persons whom the Lord Raised.
1. The miracles of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ make indeed an impression on all who hear of, and believe them; but on different men in different ways. For some amazed at His miracles done on the bodies of men, have no knowledge to discern the greater; whereas some admire the more ample fulfilment in the souls of men at the present time of those things which they hear of as having been wrought on their bodies. The Lord Himself saith, "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them;
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

On the Words of the Gospel, Luke vii. 37, "And Behold, a Woman who was in the City, a Sinner," Etc. On the Remission of Sins,
1. Since I believe that it is the will of God that I should speak to you on the subject whereof we are now reminded by the words of the Lord out of the Holy Scriptures, I will by His assistance deliver to you, Beloved, a Sermon touching the remission of sins. For when the Gospel was being read, ye gave most earnest heed, and the story was reported, and represented before the eyes of your heart. For ye saw, not with the body, but with the mind, the Lord Jesus Christ "sitting at meat in the Pharisee's
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

On Dress
"Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of -- wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." 1 Pet. 3:3, 4. 1. St. Paul exhorts all those who desire to "be transformed by the renewal of their minds," and to "prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God," not to be "conformed to this world." [Rom. 12:2]
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

Saving Faith
I. WHAT WAS IT THAT SAVED the two persons whose history we are about to consider? In the penitent woman's case, her great sins were forgiven her and she became a woman of extraordinary love: she loved much, for she had much forgiven. I feel, in thinking of her, something like an eminent father of the church who said, "This narrative is not one which I can well preach upon; I had far rather weep over it in secret." That woman's tears, that woman's unbraided tresses wiping the Saviour's feet, her coming
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 20: 1874

A Gracious Dismissal
THE main part of my subject will be--that gracious dismissal, "Go in peace." To her who had been so lately blest, the word "Go" sounded mournfully; for she would fain have remained through life with her pardoning Lord; but the added words "in peace" turned the wormwood into honey--there was now peace for her who had been so long hunted and harried by her sins. Rising from the feet she had washed with tears, she went forth to keep her future footsteps such as those of a believing, and therefore saved,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

Go in Peace
"And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."--Luke 7:50. THERE appear to have been four stages in Christ's dealing with this woman. I know not what had preceded the narrative as we have it recorded in this chapter; I need not enter into that question now. There had, doubtless, been a work of the Spirit of God upon that woman's heart, turning her from her sin to her Saviour; but when she stood at our Master's feet, raining tears of penitence upon them, wiping them with the hairs
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 48: 1902

Liii. The Contemplation of Death.
16th Sunday after Trinity. S. Luke vii. 12. "Behold, there was a dead man carried out." INTRODUCTION.--The name of the village where the miracle was wrought which is recorded in this day's Gospel, was Nain, and the meaning of the name is "Pleasant" or "Beautiful." A sweet little village, you can picture it to yourself where you like, in the East, anywhere in Europe, here in England, it is all the same, an "Auburn" among villages, with thatched cottages, and green pastures, and the cows coming home
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

Answer to Mr. W's Third Objection.
Our author says: p. 19. By way of objection to the letter of these three miracles, Let us consider the condition of the persons raised from the dead.--Where then was his wisdom and prudence to chuse these three persons above others to that honour? p. 20. I answer, that Jesus did not ordinarily choose the subjects of his miracles, but heal'd those chiefly who earnestly implored his mercy, or who pressed on him to be healed, or importunately desired it of him by others, when they could not possibly
Nathaniel Lardner—A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles

Justifying or Sanctifying Grace
Sanctifying grace is defined by Deharbe as "an unmerited, supernatural gift, imparted to the soul by the Holy Ghost, by which we are made just, children of God, and heirs of Heaven." As it makes sinners just, sanctifying grace is also called justifying, though this appellation can not be applied to the sanctification of our first parents in Paradise or to that of the angels and the sinless soul of Christ. Justification, as we have shown, consists in the infusion of sanctifying grace, and hence it
Joseph Pohle—Grace, Actual and Habitual

Jesus Raises the Widow's Son.
(at Nain in Galilee.) ^C Luke VII. 11-17. ^c 11 And it came to pass soon afterwards [many ancient authorities read on the next day], that he went into a city called Nain; and his disciples went with him, and a great multitude. [We find that Jesus had been thronged with multitudes pretty continuously since the choosing of his twelve apostles. Nain lies on the northern slope of the mountain, which the Crusaders called Little Hermon, between twenty and twenty-five miles south of Capernaum, and about
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus' Feet Anointed in the House of a Pharisee.
(Galilee.) ^C Luke VII. 36-50. ^c 36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. [We learn from verse 40 that the Pharisee's name was Simon. Because the feast at Bethany was given in the house of Simon the leper, and because Jesus was anointed there also, some have been led to think that Luke is here describing this supper. See Matt. xxvi. 6-13; Mark xiv. 3-9; John xii. 1-8. But Simon the leper was not Simon the Pharisee. The name Simon was one of the most common among the Jewish
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Raising of the Young Man of Nain - the Meeting of Life and Death.
THAT early spring-tide in Galilee was surely the truest realisation of the picture in the Song of Solomon, when earth clad herself in garments of beauty, and the air was melodious with songs of new life. [2625] It seemed as if each day marked a widening circle of deepest sympathy and largest power on the part of Jesus; as if each day also brought fresh surprise, new gladness; opened hitherto unthought-of possibilities, and pointed Israel far beyond the horizon of their narrow expectancy. Yesterday
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Woman which was a Sinner
The precise date and place of the next recorded event in this Galilean journey of the Christ are left undetermined. It can scarcely have occurred in the quiet little town of Nain, indeed, is scarcely congruous with the scene which had been there enacted. And yet it must have followed almost immediately upon it. We infer this, not only from the silence of St. Matthew, which in this instance might have been due, not to the temporary detention of that Evangelist in Capernaum, while the others had followed
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

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