Jesus is asking what to compare this generation to, implying that no simple comparison will fully capture their frustrating, contradictory nature. He's not just looking for a simile, but for a way to express how utterly unreasonable they are, rejecting every approach God sends them.
“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is responding to the mixed reception of His ministry and John the Baptist's. While the common people and tax collectors embraced John's message and were baptized, the Pharisees and religious lawyers rejected God's plan by refusing John's baptism. This sets the stage for Jesus to express His frustration with this stubborn generation's unresponsiveness, comparing them to picky children.
Jesus pauses, seeking the perfect way to describe a generation that seems impossible to please. What's behind this famous rhetorical question?
This verse, along with the following passage, introduces Jesus' poignant analogy of children playing in the marketplace. He's not just throwing out random comparisons; He's using a common, everyday scene to highlight a profound spiritual problem.
A Universal Problem
Jesus is asking, "What are these people like?" He's observed a pattern of dissatisfaction, a refusal to engage with God's messengers, no matter their approach. This isn't a new issue for Jesus; it's a recurring theme in His ministry and in the history of God's people. The generation He addresses is particularly resistant, rejecting both John the Baptist's austere call to repentance and Jesus' own more inclusive ministry.
Why couldn't this generation simply respond to God's messengers? Jesus reveals their impossible standards.
The core of Jesus' analogy is the frustration of children trying to play a game, only to have their playmates refuse to join in, no matter what game is proposed.
Two Messages, No Response
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This generation demanded that God's messengers conform to their preferences. They rejected the message because they disliked the messenger's style, revealing a deeper issue of stubbornness and a rejection of God's wisdom itself.
Despite the generation's rejection, Jesus points to a powerful truth: true wisdom always proves itself.
The phrase 'Wisdom is justified by her children' is a crucial part of Jesus' argument, appearing at the end of the analogy (though not explicitly in verse 31 itself, it's directly connected).
The True Measure of Wisdom
This means that even though the 'men of this generation' refused to accept God's messengers, their rejection doesn't diminish God's wisdom. True wisdom finds its justification in the hearts and lives of those who truly believe.
Understand the original words
genea · Greek Noun
Referring to the contemporary group of people living at the time of Jesus, often characterized by spiritual blindness or rejection of God's messengers.
Jesus is highlighting the stubborn, contrary nature of the religious leaders and their followers, who rejected both John the Baptist's austere message and Jesus' more inclusive approach, finding fault with both.
c. AD 27-30
Ministry of John the Baptist
John the Baptist preached a message of repentance and baptized people in the Jordan River, preparing the way for Jesus' ministry.
c. AD 27-30— this verse
Public Ministry of Jesus Begins
Jesus begins His public ministry, teaching, healing, and calling disciples. His ministry is characterized by both joyful fellowship and serious rebuke.
c. AD 30
Rejection of Jesus' Ministry
Despite widespread popularity among some groups, Jesus faces significant opposition and rejection from the religious establishment, including Pharisees and scribes.
This passage presents the exact same analogy of 'children in the marketplace' that Jesus uses to describe the stubbornness and unresponsiveness of the generation He is addressing.
Luke 11:45Here, Jesus directly confronts the religious leaders, calling them 'lawyers' (a term for scholars of the law), who also failed to respond appropriately to God's messengers, mirroring the rejection Jesus faced.
John 3:19This verse highlights the human tendency to prefer darkness over light, which explains the underlying reason why many rejected both John the Baptist and Jesus, despite their different approaches.
1 Corinthians 1:20This passage echoes the theme of God's wisdom being foolishness to the world, explaining why the discerning minds of the generation rejected God's messengers in favor of their own perceived wisdom.
barnesLuke 7:31: "And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?"
See this passage explained in the notes at Matthew 11:16-19 . "And the Lord said." This clause is wanting in almost all the manuscripts, and is omitted by the best critics.
calvinLuke 7:29-35: "And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John."
- But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children, who sit in the market-place, and call out to their companions, 17. And say, We have played on the flute to you, and you have not danced; we have sung mournful airs to you, and you have not lamented. 18. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. 19. The Son of man came ea…
Jesus is asking what to compare this generation to, implying that no simple comparison will fully capture their frustrating, contradictory nature. He's not just looking for a simile, but for a way to express how utterly unreasonable they are, rejecting every approach God sends them.
Jesus is responding to the mixed reception of His ministry and John the Baptist's. While the common people and tax collectors embraced John's message and were baptized, the Pharisees and religious lawyers rejected God's plan by refusing John's baptism. This sets the stage for Jesus to express His frustration with this stubborn generation's unresponsiveness, comparing them to picky children.
Jesus is responding to the mixed reception of His ministry and John the Baptist's. While the common people and tax collectors embraced John's message and were baptized, the Pharisees and religious lawyers rejected God's plan by refusing John's baptism. This sets the stage for Jesus to express His frustration with this stubborn generation's unresponsiveness, comparing them to picky children.
"“To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,
“‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a…" — Jesus is asking what to compare this generation to, implying that no simple comparison will fully capture their frustrating, contradictory nature. He's not just looking for a simile, but for a way to…
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Last reviewed October 2026