Two Diverse Styles, One Motivation

David W Palmer

While Jesus was finalizing his practical coaching and training with his twelve apprentices, he was also adding to their classroom learning. He regularly shared more insights, explanations, and kingdom instruction. He had much to impart before releasing them fully to their callings and commission. This informal teaching could take place in roadside stops, while camping around the fire at night, at meal times, or in response to public questions. Thankfully, some of those who were eyewitnesses to what he said took notes and wrote them in their gospels for us. Today, we look at one such moment—an [apparently] impromptu revelation:

(Matthew 11:16–19 NKJV) “But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, {17} and saying: ‘We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; We mourned to you, And you did not lament.’ {18} For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ {19} The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.”

After answering some questions from John the Baptist’s disciples, and while reflecting on public response to John’s ministry, Jesus gave the above parable. Why did he say it? What does it mean? And what can we learn from it?

Jesus’s narrative was about “children” who were trying to get a positive response and some participation from their “companions.” First, they tried playing “the flute.” We infer that they were hoping for the happy, joy-filled response of some celebratory dancing. However, their companions would not respond to this joyful invitation; they must have appeared sad, glum, and disinterested.

Realizing their companions were in a gloomy mood, the first group of children—still wanting some response and participation—tried a different approach. They tried to imitate mourners that they had seen in their village. Perhaps this approach would resonate with their audience. In an endeavor to be relevant to the mood of their generation, they were hoping for some pretend lamentation from their companions. Us Westerners may not have witnessed this type of overt mourning, but the Bible describes it for us:

(Mark 5:38 NIV) When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly.

Because their first celebratory attempt to enlist the involvement of their unresponsive companions failed, the children (in Jesus’s parable) tried to get them to join in by “mourning.” They did what the mourners do; it always seemed to work for them. They tried some loud weeping and wailing, but it didn’t work. The children must have given up, saying, “We have tried both extremes—we tried being sensitive to your mood, and relevant to your generation, but you didn’t budge. What do we have to do to get a response from you?”

After proclaiming the parable, Jesus applied it to the generation that both he and John had tried in vain to draw a response from:

(Matthew 11:18 TLB) “For John the Baptist doesn’t even drink wine and often goes without food, and you say, ‘He’s crazy’ (he has a demon).

Hoping for a response of repentance and participation, God sent John the prophet. He was dressed in leather and camels’ skin—the very picture of a desert prophet—an austere man of God, unaffected by worldly pleasures, positions, prominence, and prestige. Jesus picture John in his parable; the children mourning represented him. Perhaps he fitted the mould they expected of a true man of God—a loner prophet like Elijah who was moved only by God’s Spirit, untainted from the world.

However, in general the generation’s response was unrepentant. They justified their unresponsive rejection of his invitation to baptism by saying that he had a demon. This is an extremely bad response to the work of the Holy Spirit in and through his chosen vessel:

(Mark 3:28–29 NKJV) “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; {29} but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.”

Again, like the children’s second attempt in Jesus’s story, God sent Jesus with a different style and approach:

(Matthew 11:19 TLB) “And I, the Messiah, feast and drink, and you complain that I am ‘a glutton and a drinking man, and hang around with the worst sort of sinners!’ But brilliant men like you can justify your every inconsistency!”

Jesus’s ministry is pictured in the children “playing the flute.” He came filling the crowds with joy through his freely given miracles, forgiveness, love, and acceptance; he enjoyed meals with sinners, forgave prostitutes, fed multitudes, and related lots of stories. However, many in that generation—who hadn’t responded to God’s call through John—criticized him sharply. They still refused to budge from their self-justifying grip on religious superiority.

God sent John in one way, and then he sent Jesus in an extremely different way. I believe that what Jesus is showing us by his simile is that the same motivation was behind both approaches; God wanted to enlist participants into his kingdom. One approach was what the generation’s traditions said a man of God would look like—austere, Spartan, separate, and direct. The other was celebratory, fun, joy-filled—more like a wedding banquet than a fast in sackcloth and ashes:

(Matthew 9:14–15 NKJV) Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?” {15} And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

What is the take-away for us in today’s teaching from the Master? We must understand that God initiates different styles and approaches through different ministries. He is looking for response and participation, so he opens different types of opportunities for people to accept what he is saying—different doors, if you like, but all leading to the same Father.

This helps me to realize first, why each of us is unique, and why there is a diverse range of ministry styles. God is hoping to reach every corner of society. Some of those he raises up are austere, separate, extremely unlike the world, and call directly for repentance. Whereas others God sends are more fun, joy-filled, giving out the good things of God freely. They love the crowds, the show, the lights and the noise. But God’s motivation in sending all the different styles is consistent; he wants participation in his kingdom. He plans a different path to maturity from each unique doorway; but ultimately, his objective is a growing eternal family and an expanding kingdom on earth.

The lesson is to choose and participate with the style of gospel presentation that reaches you; it allows you to receive God’s invitation to come to him, love him, worship him, and to trust him. The flip-side of this same lesson is never to criticize or judge those whose style you don’t relate to. Simply don’t try to participate there; stay where you can participate. And never ever attribute to the enemy something you don’t understand, something you see in a ministry you cannot relate to; you may be attributing to the devil something initiated by God.

Today, I encourage you to be yourself—be authentically you. Jesus didn’t live under condemnation because he wasn’t like John the Baptist. Don’t feel you are a failure because you don’t have the same style, draw the same crowds, or because you have a different revelation of how God wants you to minister. Instead, stay in your lane, keep your eyes on Jesus, and focus on those for whom he has gifted and sent you. If he is pleased with you, your faith, and your obedience to his call; then be content and confident that he sent you to reach a different facet of society. God loves you and the people he designed you to reach. Be at peace with that, knowing that trying to change his creativity—in making you unique according to his vision—would break his artist’s heart.