Matthew 11:16-19 "But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children."
The scribes and Pharisees of the time considered themselves to be wise and righteous above all other men. They considered even other Jews to be lesser men. Their self-righteousness led them into many errors. They were constantly contradicting their own words by their actions.
Jesus likened them unto children playing at adult things. In celebrations, there were often those who played the flute while others danced. Mourners were often hired to express public sorrow. Notice in Jeremiah 9:17-18 that the prophet called for the “mourning women,” and instructed that the skillful (cunning) should lead the mourning for Israel.
Jesus observed that they were displeased because they had piped and no one had danced to their tune. Jesus’s coming was worthy of celebration, yet they tried to demean Him. John was imprisoned, which was reason for lament, but they tried to justify it by saying he had an evil spirit. Those who lean on their own self-righteousness and depend on their own understanding are going to always have things backward.
Dear ones, as we go through this life, we need to be careful about whose tune we are dancing to. While there will certainly be plenty of reasons in this world to lament, let us seek to understand that our greatest lamentation should be about our own sins. May we be blessed to understand that Christ died for us while we were still in our sins and celebrate our deliverance in Him. May we eat of the Bread of Life and drink from the Living Water.