In today’s Gospel Jesus compares his generation to children in the marketplace. These children refuse to respond: “We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge, but you did not mourn.” The children try both happy and sad songs but the other side refuses to respond. In a similar way, John the Baptist and Jesus had two different approaches in their ministry and still people refused to respond:
“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’”
“The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’”
People accused John of being “crazy” because of his ascetical manner of living and they accused Jesus of being a glutton and friend of sinners. People tried to demonize John and Jesus so that they would not have to respond to their call to repent, their call to change.
Jesus last saying in today’s Gospel is mysterious: “But wisdom is vindicated by her works.” Wisdom reveals God’s Will and Way. Both John and Jesus reveal God’s will and way by their works, their ministry. John’s work is to preach a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and thus prepares the way of the Lord, the way of Jesus. Jesus’ work is to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Jesus shows God’s Wisdom and Will by his eating with tax collectors and sinners. John’s work as the Baptist is one of preparation, Jesus’ work as Son of God is one of fulfillment.
Children like to dress up and play at being their parents and doing the work of their parents. In a similar way in our baptism, we “dress up” like Jesus:
“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:27-28)
As children of God, we are clothed with Christ and so are called to do the work of Jesus, welcoming the outcast and sinner. We are children who are called to respond to Jesus’ invitation to come to him.
Image: “Children playing with the accessible sand diggers in playground” by Brisbane City Council is licensed under CC BY 2.0.