Bible Lesson: Parables -Our Lord's:
Children In The Market Place.
Occasion: Rejection Of John The
Baptist, And Jesus Christ.
Lesson: Endless Fault Finding.
Bible Text:
Matthew 11:16-19 KJV
16 But where unto shall I liken this
generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and
calling unto their fellows,
17 And saying, We have piped unto you,
and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not
lamented.
18 For John came neither eating nor
drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
19 The Son Of Man came eating and
drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine bibber, a
friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her
children.
Matthew 11:16-19 NLT
16 “To what can I compare this
generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square.
They complain to their friends,
17 ‘We played wedding songs, and you
didn’t dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t mourn.’
18 For John didn’t spend his time
eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’
19 The Son Of Man, on the other hand,
feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard,
and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is
shown to be right by its results.”
John the Baptist, led an ascetic life,
in the barren land, west of the Dead Sea, depriving himself of all
the luxuries that others enjoyed.
Though he was himself a priest, born
from priestly stock, Zacharias and Elisabeth, yet he chose an austere
life to turn men's hearts to The Living God.
Mark 1:6 KJV
And John was clothed with camel's
hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat
locusts and wild honey;
So how did the
Pharisees receive this last day Elijah and his message?
Matthew 11:18
KJV
For John came neither eating nor
drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
And then Christ
appeared.
Matthew 11:19
KJV
The Son Of Man, on
the other hand, feasts and drinks, and
you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax
collectors and other sinners!’
But wisdom is shown
to be right by its results.”
These fault finding
Pharisees, could not be pleased! No matter who or how the Man Of God
appeared to be, they found fault with him, rejecting Him.
I Corinthians
1:18-23 KJV
18 For the preaching of The Cross
is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved
it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, I will destroy
the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding
of the prudent.
20 Where is the wise? where is the
scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made
foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom of
God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign, and
the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified,
unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
I Corinthians
2:14 KJV
But the natural man receiveth not
the things of The Spirit Of God: for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Matthew 11:16,17 NLT
16 “To what
can I compare this generation? It is like children
playing a game in the public square. They complain to their
friends,
17 ‘We played
wedding songs, and you didn’t dance,
so we played
funeral songs, and you didn’t mourn.’
The Pharisees, could “not,” be pleased!
Think this fault finding sin existed only in the 1st
Century?
“I'd go to your church, but its to preachy!”
“I'd be a Christian, but you folks don't have any fun!”
“I'd go to your church if it had rock music!”
“I'd be a Christian, if I could live like I want!”
Etc. etc. etc.
All of these and countless others are but excuses for rejection of
The Gospel.
Excuses for rejection of The Living Christ.
Proverbs 14:12
KJV
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof
are the ways of death.
Nothing may ever
please the man whose mind is made up to, reject The Truth!
Hebrews 4:7 KJV
Again, He
limiteth a certain day, saying...Today if ye will hear His voice,
harden not your hearts.
Genesis 6:3 KJV
And The Lord
said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man..."
