Pouting Children

Pouting Children

One day I was walking along a street in Philadelphia and I heard a little girl of about eight call out to another one to come over and play. Her companion came toward her, calling out, "What are you going to play?"  She answered, "Oh, I’ve got a swell game.  Let’s play house and you will be father coming home late at night and I’ll pitch into you something terrible."  Little did she realize the tragedy of the words she was speaking.  The other child said, "Oh, I don’t want to play that."  The one had mourned but the other would not lament.  Children play games that include every great emotion of joy and sorrow of human life.  Sometimes the other children hang back and do not want to enter into the spirit of the game.  But all games are the same to children.  A funeral or a wedding; a doctor for high fever or a party for the dolls; all emotions are alike to children.

This is what our Lord meant when He spoke to the people of that generation.  "Whereunto shall I liken this generation?"  Children playing in the market.  Whether it be a game of sorrow or of joy that is proposed, some children hang back.  This is the way the people had received the offer of the Kingdom in righteousness.  John came as a stern figure of repentance… His disciples spent many days in fasting.  His call was the stern call to repentance.  His preaching was the demand for righteousness.  The people smiled to themselves and turned away from that picture.  Some said that John acted that way because he was possessed of a demon.  He had mourned unto them and they had not lamented.

The Lord Jesus came with a personality that was evidently very winsome.  He was welcomed among the publicans and harlots, He sat down with sinners to eat and drink, and as a general rule, that class of people desire no spoil-sports about them.  We may believe that our Lord was good company, although He never compromised with truth or righteousness.  His message interested men, His works amazed them.  They followed Him and saw Him heal the sick and give sight to the blind, but He sat with them at their common table, ate their food and drank their wine.  His call was the loving call to repentance, and His preaching was the invitation to righteousness.

Yet they did not accept Him.  They said that He was gluttonous and a wine–bibber.  He had piped unto them and they had not danced.  So that generation was like a crowd of pouting children who would not play.  Neither John’s stern call nor the tender grace of the Lord Jesus attracted them: They had evil hearts of unbelief.

Dr. Barnhouse warns against the sin of unbelief among today’s "pouting children".  Such unbelief will bring divine judgment.

Further Reading : Matthew 11:1-19