Matthew 11:16-19 NRSVue
16“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
17‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
18“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; 19the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”,
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Reflection on Matthew 11:16-19
Inspiration from 2025-12-12 Daily Prayer
Today’s gospel reading takes a bit of working out. Jesus gives us a little insight into how he sometimes must have felt about his own ministry and how it was received. He suggests that those who followed him and those who followed John the Baptist had wildly different experiences, but many of them managed to remain stony-faced, whatever was put before them.
Further reflection
The children playing in the marketplace might have seemed a trivial distraction to many but to Jesus they offered an image of life. Perhaps I can take time to notice the small things in my life - the incidental happenings - and listen to what God may be saying to me in them.
Jesus knew that he could not please all of the people around him. He remained true to his vision and truth. I pray that I may not be distracted from following Jesus by trying to win the approval of others.
Can I hear the frustration of Jesus in this scene? (Do I need to slow down and really listen to him?) It seems as if his life, which is meant to reveal the very essence of God, is being misunderstood and misrepresented.
What about me? Do I misunderstand or misrepresent? Do I minimise or play down the significance of Jesus?
Can I catch the frustration and urgency of God, desiring to be heard? By me.