Luke 7:31-35 Meaning: Why They Rejected Both John and Jesus
31“To what then should I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?
32They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, saying, ‘We piped to you, and you didn’t dance. We mourned, and you didn’t weep.’
33For John the Baptizer came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’
34The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
35Wisdom is justified by all her children.”
31And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?
32They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.
34The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
35But wisdom is justified of all her children.
31Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation, and to what are they like?
32They are like unto children that sit in the marketplace, and call one to another; who say, We piped unto you, and ye did not dance; we wailed, and ye did not weep.
33For John the Baptist is come eating no bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a demon.
34The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold, a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
35And wisdom is justified of all her children.
31And the Lord said, `To what, then, shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?
32they are like to children, to those sitting in a market-place, and calling one to another, and saying, We piped to you, and ye did not dance, we mourned to you, and ye did not weep!
33`For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and ye say, He hath a demon;
34the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and ye say, Lo, a man, a glutton, and a wine drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners;
35and the wisdom was justified from all her children.'
31To whom therefore shall I liken the men of this generation, and to whom are they like?
32They are like children sitting in the market-place, and calling one to another and saying, We have piped to you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
33For John the baptist has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and ye say, He has a demon.
34The Son of man has come eating and drinking, and ye say, Behold an eater and wine-drinker, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners;
35and wisdom has been justified of all her children.
Meaning in one sentence
Jesus compares his critics to children who refuse to play along.
Context
Jesus has just finished speaking about John the Baptist, calling him the greatest prophet born of women. The tax collectors who heard John's message and were baptized have been declared right with God, while the Pharisees and lawyers rejected John's baptism and thus rejected God's purpose for them.
Now Jesus turns to address that resistance directly. He describes the people of this generation as children in the marketplace who refuse to join any game, whether happy or sad. John came living a life of severe discipline, and they said he had a demon. Jesus came sharing meals with all kinds of people, and they called him a glutton and a drunkard. The problem was not the messengers, it was the hearts of those who refused to listen, no matter how God approached them.
Key Words
Three words stand out in this passage. First, Jesus calls the people little children (paidion). This is not a compliment about innocence, it points to immaturity, the way children bicker and refuse to play together. Second, the children in the game piped (auleō) and sang a dirge (thrēneō). These are sounds of celebration and grief, the two main tones of life's deepest moments. The children call out 'We piped to you, and you didn't dance. We mourned, and you didn't weep.' Neither tone could move their playmates.
Third, the verb was justified (edikaiōthē) in verse 35 carries a meaning of being shown to be right or being vindicated. God's wisdom, His patient, varied ways of reaching people, may look foolish or inconsistent to onlookers, but its rightness becomes clear through those who receive it, called here her children (teknon, meaning offspring). Those who truly belong to wisdom will recognize wisdom's work, whether it comes in mourning clothes or at a feast.
How Christians Read This Verse
Commentators across traditions agree that Jesus is not describing everyone, he is specifically addressing the scribes and Pharisees who rejected both John and himself. John Calvin noted that Jesus charges them with 'incorrigible obstinacy,' unwilling to respond no matter what method God tried. Matthew Henry saw the children as 'froward and perverse, that no contrivance could be found to please them.'
Adam Clarke observed that the proverb 'wisdom is justified by all her children' means wisdom proves itself by its results, the tax collectors and sinners who repented and followed Christ are wisdom's true vindication. The Cambridge Bible notes that Jesus drew his teaching from common street life: children playing wedding and funeral games in the marketplace, a scene so ordinary that everyone would recognize its meaning.
A common misunderstanding
Some read this passage and think Jesus is simply complaining that people misunderstood him. The real point cuts deeper. It was not a misunderstanding, it was a deliberate refusal. The critics had a reason to reject both John and Jesus: John was too severe, Jesus too social. The game was rigged. In fact, Jesus exposes the pattern of a hardened heart: when you have already decided not to believe, you will always find a reason.
Living This Out
This week, pay attention to your own reactions when God speaks through people you find uncomfortable. Perhaps someone you know is blunt like John, and you can dismiss them as harsh. Perhaps someone is too free with grace, and you judge them as careless. Ask yourself: am I like those children who had an excuse for every invitation? The point is not to decide whether you like the messenger's style. The point is to recognize the message that calls you to repent and trust Christ. Wisdom's children, those who truly seek God, will recognize his voice whether it comes through a desert prophet or a dinner guest.
Main takeaway: God sends messengers in different styles, but a hardened heart will always find a reason to refuse them both.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Have you ever wanted to play a game and your friend said no to every idea? That is what the people did to Jesus. No matter what He did, they found a reason not to listen. Instead of making excuses, we can choose to follow Jesus.
For ages 9, 12
Imagine two kids in the playground. One invites you to dance to happy music; the other asks you to pretend to cry at a funeral. If you refuse both, maybe the problem is not the music, it is you. Jesus said the religious leaders of his day were like that. Nothing pleased them. John the Baptist lived simply and they called him crazy; Jesus ate with people and they called him a sinner. The point is not to judge the messenger. Ask yourself: am I making excuses to avoid what God is saying?
Questions People Ask
Why did Jesus compare the people to children playing in the marketplace?
In Jesus' time, children in the marketplace would play pretend games, one group would act out a wedding (piping, dancing) and the other would act out a funeral (wailing, mourning). If one group refused to join either game, nothing could get them playing. Jesus used this picture to show how the religious leaders rejected both John's stern call to repentance and Jesus' joyful invitation to the kingdom.
What does 'wisdom is justified by all her children' mean in Luke 7:35?
This is a proverb. It means that wisdom is shown to be right by its results. The 'children of wisdom' are those who respond to God's message. When tax collectors and sinners repented and followed Jesus, they proved that God's way was wise after all, even though the Pharisees rejected it. The fruit speaks for itself.
Was Jesus really called a glutton and a drunkard?
The religious leaders used these cruel words to discredit Jesus. 'Glutton' (Greek: phagos) means a voracious eater, and 'drunkard' (oinopotēs) means a wine-drinker, terms of slander. They were attacking Jesus for eating freely with tax collectors and sinners, which they saw as proof that he could not be a prophet. In reality, Jesus was showing God's love to the very people who needed it most.
Why did they say John the Baptist had a demon?
John lived a severe, ascetic life in the wilderness, eating locusts and wild honey, wearing camel's hair, fasting often. To the religious leaders, his unusual lifestyle and his blunt, confrontational preaching made him seem possessed or mentally unstable. It was a way to dismiss his message without having to answer it.
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