Callous games

​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.”

Luke 7:32

Jesus described His generation as children sitting in the marketplace who refused to respond no matter what game was offered to them. John the Baptist preached a solemn call to repentance and some dismissed him as demonic. Jesus festively ate and drank, graciously reaching sinners, and they called Him a drunkard and a glutton. Their problem however was not with the style of the messenger. Their issue was the stubbornness of their hearts. They were selectively and selfishly calloused to God’s Word, no matter how it was preached or who proclaimed it. Religion disguised as criticism avoided the real heart concern: What if God is speaking and I just don’t want to hear Him or I just don’t like the message?

So it is today. Exposure to God’s truth may never soften a heart. Repeated resistance can leave people unmoved by the gospel. The problem is that many people use Christian religion to suit preferences and this further callouses people to the truth. They want happy songs and watered down truth. But Jesus reminds us “wisdom is justified by all her children” (Luke 7:35). When Scripture confronts us, we should repent of our critique instincts and examine ourselves in the light of the gospel. That is the Holy Spirit helping make God’s Word transformative for us! When we welcome God’s Word with receptive hearts, He in turn welcomes us as His children.