Luke 7:32

They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.

They are {G1526} like {G3664} unto children {G3813} sitting {G2521} in {G1722} the marketplace {G58}, and {G2532} calling {G4377} one to another {G240}, and {G2532} saying {G3004}, We have piped {G832} unto you {G5213}, and {G2532} ye have {G3738} not {G3756} danced {G3738}; we have mourned {G2354} to you {G5213}, and {G2532} ye have {G2799} not {G3756} wept {G2799}.

They are like children sitting in the marketplaces, calling to one another, `We made happy music, but you wouldn't dance! We made sad music, but you wouldn't cry!'

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 unto children that sit in the marketplace, and call one to another; who say, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did not weep.

Commentary

In Luke 7:32, Jesus uses a vivid analogy from everyday life to describe the spiritual stubbornness and inconsistency of the generation He was addressing, particularly the religious leaders. This verse is part of a larger discourse where Jesus contrasts the reactions to John the Baptist's ministry and His own.

Context

This verse follows Jesus' powerful words about John the Baptist and His own identity. After praising John, Jesus turns to critique the people who refused to accept either John's ascetic call to repentance or His own message of the Kingdom. In Luke 7:30, He notes that the Pharisees and lawyers rejected God's counsel by not being baptized by John. The analogy of children in the marketplace highlights their unreasonable and contradictory behavior: no matter how God's messengers presented the truth, they found fault. The marketplace was a common public gathering place, where children would often play games, mimicking adult life.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Spiritual Indifference and Inconsistency: The core message is the unwillingness of people to respond to God's truth, regardless of its presentation. They are like petulant children who refuse to play any game, whether joyful (a wedding dance, represented by "piping") or somber (a funeral lament, represented by "mourning").
  • Rejection of Divine Messengers: Jesus illustrates how His generation rejected both John the Baptist (who came "neither eating bread nor drinking wine," representing the "mourners" with his austere message of repentance) and Himself (who came "eating and drinking," representing the "pipers" with His message of joy and inclusion). Their critique was not based on the message's content but on a predetermined refusal to believe or obey.
  • Unreasonableness and Hypocrisy: The analogy exposes the irrationality of those who found fault with John for being too austere and with Jesus for being too social. They were not genuinely seeking truth but excuses to dismiss it, demonstrating a spiritual blindness.

Linguistic Insights

The KJV uses simple, yet profound imagery. The terms "piped" and "mourned" refer to common activities in the marketplace games. "Piped" (from Greek auleō) refers to playing a flute, typically associated with celebrations, weddings, and dancing. "Mourned" (from Greek thrēneō) refers to wailing or lamenting, characteristic of funerals and times of sorrow. The contrast vividly portrays the two distinct approaches of John and Jesus, both met with an unyielding, negative response from the audience Jesus describes.

Related Scriptures

This analogy is also found in Matthew 11:17, showing its importance in Jesus' teaching about the unresponsive generation. The verse directly sets up the profound statement in Luke 7:35: "But wisdom is justified of all her children," implying that those who genuinely seek truth will recognize and respond to it in both John and Jesus, regardless of their differing ministries.

Practical Application

This parable serves as a timeless warning against spiritual stubbornness and a closed mind. It challenges us to examine our own hearts: are we open to God's truth, even when it comes in unexpected forms or challenges our preconceptions? Do we dismiss spiritual calls because they don't fit our preferences, or do we truly seek to understand and obey? True wisdom involves discerning God's voice and responding appropriately, whether it calls for repentance and sorrow over sin or for rejoicing in the good news of the Kingdom. This King James Version passage encourages self-reflection on our receptiveness to divine wisdom.

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Cross-References

  • Matthew 11:16 (5 votes)

    But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows,

  • Matthew 11:19 (5 votes)

    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.

  • Jeremiah 5:3 (3 votes)

    O LORD, [are] not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, [but] they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

  • Jeremiah 5:5 (3 votes)

    I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, [and] the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, [and] burst the bonds.

  • Isaiah 28:9 (3 votes)

    ¶ Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? [them that are] weaned from the milk, [and] drawn from the breasts.

  • Isaiah 28:13 (3 votes)

    But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.

  • Proverbs 17:16 (2 votes)

    ¶ Wherefore [is there] a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing [he hath] no heart [to it]?