Study Questions

Luke 7:31-35

Jesus was a brilliant storyteller. Some of his parables are famous like the Good Samaritan. Some of his parables are easy to understand like the Prodigal Son. Today’s parable of the children in the marketplace is neither famous nor particularly easy to understand. We often skip over this parable because we don’t grasp the meaning of Jesus’ words.

Luke 7:31-35

31 Jesus went on to say, “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 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. 33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ 35 But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

The context of the story is Jesus’ response to his cousin John the Baptist. John sent some of his disciples to ask Jesus if he really is the long-awaited messiah. Even in Herod’s prison, John picked up on the public outcry against Jesus. John certainly experienced resistance during his own ministry, but he was surprised that anyone would oppose the Messiah.

Jesus offers some glowing words about John the Baptist. Jesus calls John a prophet (Luke 7:26). Jesus says, “I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John” (Luke 7:28). Jesus is supportive of John’s baptism of repentance out in the wilderness. The religious leaders dismissed John a nut-job, but Jesus supports John’s ministry of giving everybody a “do-over” with God.

Jesus also defends his own ministry, telling John’s disciples, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Luke 7:22). While John used fire and brimstone sermons to get the people to repent, Jesus threw a party for all the sinners who turned back to God. John was a serious as a funeral. Jesus was as joyful as a wedding reception. They both had the same purpose of bringing people back to God. Both of them suffered rejection by the religious leaders of the day.

Jesus compares his generation to children taunting each other in the marketplace. When the adults went to the market to shop or sell goods, the kids tagged along to play with their friends. The closest modern approximation to Jesus’ example is recess at the schoolyard.

1. What did you play on the schoolyard?
2. Did you look forward to recess, or did you dread the childish games?
3. What’s the worst thing that happened to you on the playground?

At my school, we used to sing on the playground, “Ring-a-round a rosie. Pocket-full of posies. Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down!” We used to sing at recess, “Eenie meenie miney moe. Catch a tigger by the toe. If he hollers let him go. Eenie meenie miney moe.” We used to sing on the schoolyard, “One potato, two potato, three potato, four; five potato, six potato, seven potato, more.” Jesus is using a similar schoolyard rhyme to tease his critics, “We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ The rhyme scheme doesn’t translate from the original Aramaic, but this is likely a taunting song from childhood.

1. What songs did you sing on the schoolyard? Why?
2. Why do you think Jesus is teasing his critics?

Some scholars say that this is a parable about two groups of children mocking each other. One group of children wants to play wedding, singing and dancing in the street. Another group of children wants to play funeral, crying and wailing over a dead grasshopper. The kids have no fun at all because they couldn’t agree on the game.

Other scholars believe that Jesus’ parable is about one group of children who refuse to play any game at all. They are too happy to play funeral. They are too sad to play wedding. In other words, Jesus is saying this generation is like a bunch of spoiled brats who refuse to cooperate no matter what game is played.

The third option is that Jesus is telling this parable to rebuke the leaders for acting like a bunch of children. They criticized John’s ministry for being somber and now they were criticizing his ministry for being joyful. In this reading of the text, the religious leaders do not want to play the game unless they get to make the rules. They are like bored children in the marketplace mocking the children playing funeral or wedding because they don’t like how the game is played.

1. What explanation of the parable makes the most sense to you?
   • Two groups of children criticizing each other?
   • One group of children having no fun because they can’t agree on a game?
   • Jesus mocking the religious leaders for criticizing the way he and John play the game?

Did everybody answer? I want to weigh in, but I don’t want to give the answer away before people had a chance to vote. No cheating! I find the third option most compelling.

John the Baptist came with a message of repentance, and he was rejected because of odd lifestyle. He lived in the wilderness. He dressed like a prophet in camel hair and a big leather belt. He ate honey and locusts. While children played funeral and pretended to bury grasshoppers, John ate grasshoppers and spent his life as somber as a funeral! They leaders accused John of having a demon because he was so dire and serious! The religious leaders said that life was a party and John was acting like he was at a funeral.

Jesus came with a message of salvation, and he too was rejected for his odd lifestyle. Jesus was the life of the party. He ate bread and drank wine like everybody else. The religious leaders accused Jesus of being a drunk and glutton, which were capital offenses. They condemned Jesus for befriending tax collectors and sinners. The religious leaders now said that life was like a funeral and Jesus was acting like the bridegroom at a wedding!

This is a classic Catch-22 situation. This is a classing no-win situation. John was too somber for the leadership. Jesus was too joyful for the leadership. The leadership missed out on the leading of God because they were so busy judging other people. The point of today’s parable is that’s it’s both easy and wrong to criticize from the sidelines. Instead of insisting on your own way, you need to get in the game and start playing.

1. Have you ever been caught in a no-win situation?
2. Have you ever felt criticized by someone sitting on the sidelines?
3. Have you ever been guilty of complaining about something without taking action?
4. Pray for the humility and wisdom to get in the game without a critical spirit.

Jesus says, “Wisdom is proved right by all her children.” Matthew tells the story slightly differently, “Wisdom is proved right by her deeds” (Matthew 11:19). Matthew and Luke give slightly different translations of the same Aramaic phrase. The point remains the same: wisdom is proved by results.

Jesus uses the word “Wisdom” as summary word for God and his plan. The religious leaders missed out on true wisdom and the leading of God, because they failed to follow John into the waters of repentance. Then they failed to follow Jesus into the joy of welcoming sinners back into fellowship. The religious leaders failed to follow God because they didn’t want to play the new game and abandon control of the rules.

1. How is God inviting you to play a new game?
2. How do you struggle with judging others?
3. How is the Holy Spirit provoking you to leave behind old patterns to turn from sin?
4. How is the Holy Spirit provoking you to welcome people who are estranged from God?