“But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call to their fellows and say,
We piped to you, and you did not dance,
We wailed, and you did not mourn.”
In Matthew 11:10 we had a quotation indicating what Jesus likened John the Baptist to. It was solemn and powerful. He was the preparer of the way, preparing the way for Jesus, the Coming One. Now we have a quotation showing how the people saw John the Baptist and Jesus, as wanting them to play weddings and funerals. It is unbelievably weak and pathetic. It is difficult to imagine a greater contrast.
It is regularly said that these words were probably part of well known children's games, and that may be right, but there is little point in trying to invent different types of game and then obtaining illustrations from them. We must rather take the words at face value, which no doubt Jesus intended us to do. What then is He saying? He is describing His generation, apart from those who had become, or were thinking of becoming, His disciples, and describing how they liked to pull people's strings and then criticise them for not responding. The children are depicted as sitting in judgment on their fellows. In the same way the people are sitting in judgment on John and Jesus.
We are probably to see the call to dance as being directed at John. In other words they were ridiculing his asceticism. While those who flocked to him at least initially admired him, or were at least interested in him as a prophet, many of them would not like what he said, and then the criticisms would begin (in order to justify their rejection of his message), backed up by their leaders (compare John 5:35). So they were now seen as retaliating by telling him that he was a sobersides, and, because he lived in the desert and lived strangely, a demon. The desert was a place for demons (Isaiah 13:20-22; Isaiah 34:13-14).
The call to mourn was probably directed at Jesus, as they considered that He was too frivolous. Once again the reasons would be similar. They wanted him to behave more like John had done, and more like their own pious Pharisees did. And when He did not they mocked Him for being given to much wine and being a glutton. They could not see outside the walls of their own built up ideas, and thus they were not satisfied whatever John and Jesus did, for the truth was that they were trying to find excuses for not listening to them.
‘This generation.' This description is usually used of those of Jesus' generation who refused to respond to His words. Compare Matthew 12:41-42; Matthew 12:45. They are always seeking signs (Matthew 12:39). They are those who think themselves wise and understanding (compare Matthew 11:25), but are really foolish, and doomed to judgment (Matthew 23:36; Matthew 24:34). They are blind leaders of the blind.