Children in the Marketplace

Texts: Matthew 11:16–19; Luke 7:31–35

Introduction: What the Parable Means
Jesus pictures a group of children in a town square trying to boss the game. They pipe a happy tune and complain when no one dances; they sing a funeral song and complain when no one mourns. He then points to the generation before Him. John came with a strict, wilderness call to repentance and they said, “He has a demon.” Jesus came eating with sinners and they said, “glutton and drunkard.” The point is simple: hearts that refuse God will always find a reason to object. God’s wisdom still proves true by the lives it produces.

Setting the Scene: John’s Question and Jesus’ Answer
John’s disciples came to Jesus asking if He was the One to come. Jesus answered by pointing to His works and then praised John as more than a prophet (Matthew 11:2–15). Turning to the crowd, He exposed a pattern: chronic fault-finding that dodges repentance. The marketplace image fits perfectly. Some refuse stern preaching; some refuse merciful table fellowship. The message remains the same: turn to God and do His will (Luke 7:29–35).

A Generation that Moves the Goalposts
The children in Jesus’ picture want control. They set the tune and expect everyone to perform on cue. Many in Jesus’ day did the same with God’s messengers—setting personal preferences as the standard and then judging the sermon, the messenger, and the method by that yardstick. When hearts resist repentance, style becomes the excuse. When hearts welcome truth, they seek God’s will regardless of style (John 7:17).

John and Jesus: Two Voices, One Call
John stood apart from society—rough clothing, simple food, urgent warnings (Matthew 3:4–8). Jesus walked among people—teaching in homes, eating with tax collectors and sinners, calling the sick to healing and the lost to return (Matthew 9:10–13). These approaches look different, yet both announce the same kingdom and demand the same response: humble obedience to the Father’s will (Matthew 7:21; Hebrews 5:9). Refusing either voice leaves a person unchanged.

“Wisdom is Justified by Her Children”
Matthew records “by her works,” Luke records “by all her children” (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:35). God’s wisdom proves itself in results: sinners repent, lives are reordered, Scripture is fulfilled, and righteousness bears visible fruit. Opinions come and go; transformed lives remain. The proof sits in the pews and walks the streets—men and women who now seek God first and walk by His word.

Why People Resist
Some want a softer message that never cuts to the heart; others want a stricter tone that never eats with sinners. Some prefer endless discussion; others prefer quick dismissal. The Lord exposes the deeper issue: a will that refuses to submit. “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Hearing without doing leaves a person seated in the square with crossed arms and constant complaints.

Tests for Our Own Hearts

• Do I judge by Scripture or by preference? Measure every teacher and practice by the written word (Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 4:6).

• Do I accept God’s message when it confronts me? Repentance proves sincerity (Matthew 3:8; James 1:22–25).

• Do I welcome God’s methods? God worked through John’s austerity and through Jesus’ table fellowship. Fruit, not fashion, is the test.

• Do my objections mask disobedience? Honest questions seek to do God’s will; stubborn questions seek to avoid it (John 7:17).

Applications for Today

• Preaching and teaching: Seek clear exposition and plain application. The goal is obedience to the Father, not the defense of traditions or the applause of crowds (Colossians 3:17).

• Congregational life: Hold fast to the Lord’s pattern. Additions that elevate human rules and subtractions that ignore divine commands both lead to vain worship (Matthew 15:1–9).

• Personal discipleship: Receive correction. Choose repentance quickly. Put the Lord’s sayings into practice in speech, family life, work habits, and treatment of outsiders (Matthew 5–7).

• Evangelism: Learn from both messengers. Speak with John’s urgency about sin and judgment; sit with Jesus’ clarity and compassion as you call people to obey the gospel (Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16).

Hearing that Leads to Doing
Jesus honors honest hearing. He also warns that careless hearing shrinks capacity for truth (Luke 8:18). The marketplace parable presses a decision. Keep shifting the tune and stay unconverted, or lay down the flute, stop managing the scene, and submit to the King. God’s wisdom stands ready to be “justified” again—through your repentance, your obedience, and your renewed life.

Conclusion: Stop Calling the Tune; Start Doing the Word
Children in the square play for control. Disciples lay that aside. The Lord spoke in the stern voice of John and in the neighborly voice of Jesus. The message remains the same. Do the will of the Father. Follow the Son’s commands. Let the results—changed conduct and enduring faithfulness—vindicate God’s wisdom in you.

Exhaustive Sermon Outline

• Introduction: Clear meaning of the parable (Matthew 11:16–19; Luke 7:31–35)

• Context: John’s inquiry; Jesus’ commendation of John; turn to the crowd (Matthew 11:2–15)

• Image explained: Children demanding response; unresponsive companions; fault-finding generation

• Two ministries, one message:

  • John’s austere call to repentance (Matthew 3:1–8)

  • Jesus’ table fellowship and call to sinners (Matthew 9:10–13)

  • One standard: doing the Father’s will (Matthew 7:21; Hebrews 5:9)

• Moving the goalposts: preference-driven religion exposed (Matthew 11:18–19; Mark 7:6–9)

• “Wisdom justified”: fruits as proof—repentance, reordered lives, fulfilled Scripture (Luke 7:35)

• Causes of resistance: pride, preference, fear of change, attachment to tradition (Matthew 15:1–9)

• Tests for the heart: Scripture as measure; readiness to repent; openness to God’s methods (Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 4:6)

• Applications: preaching, congregational practice, personal discipleship, evangelism (James 1:22–25; Colossians 3:17)

• Invitation: hear, believe, repent, confess, be baptized for remission of sins; continue in obedient living (Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3–4)

Call to Action
Lay down the flute. Stop managing the message. Open the Scriptures this week to Matthew 11 and Luke 7. Ask God to expose any preference that blocks obedience. Then obey a clear command you have delayed—repair a wrong, confess sin, seek reconciliation, or submit to the gospel in baptism (Acts 22:16).

Scripture Reference List

• Matthew 11:16–19—Parable of the children; objections to both John and Jesus; wisdom vindicated by results

• Luke 7:31–35—Parallel account; “wisdom justified by all her children”

• Matthew 11:2–15—Context with John’s question and Jesus’ commendation

• Matthew 3:1–8—John’s message and call to bear fruit worthy of repentance

• Matthew 9:10–13—Jesus eats with sinners; call of mercy and repentance

• Matthew 7:21—Entrance tied to doing the Father’s will

• Hebrews 5:9—Eternal salvation for those who obey the Son

• Matthew 15:1–9—Traditions of men produce vain worship

• 1 Corinthians 4:6—Do not go beyond what is written

• Acts 17:11—Noble hearing tested by Scripture

• James 1:22–25—Doers of the word are blessed

• Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3–4—Appointed response to the gospel: belief, baptism, new life

• Luke 8:18—Take heed how you hear; responsibility attached to hearing

• John 7:17—Willingness to do God’s will clarifies understanding

Prepared by David Hersey of the church of Christ at Granby, MO