NOTES for Luk 7:31-35

This passage from the Gospel of Luke usually requires explanation. To whom does Jesus compare “the people of this generation”? Whom does He mean in verse 32? Perhaps He is referring to a children’s game familiar to His listeners. Children love games of this kind, which contradict ordinary logic and thereby show that they have mastered that logic. “Do not say yes or no; do not name black or white...” Absurdities and tall tales delight children. The object of this game, apparently, is to agree with nothing. It is a perfectly amusing children’s game. But when adults begin playing such games, it is no longer innocent. It means that people are pursuing some interest of their own, that they disagree with something not because it is untrue but because it is disadvantageous to them. They are then closed to God and His message. For this message from God—“wisdom” in verse 35—to be accepted as true, or “justified,” people must be free of prejudice, await the message, seek it, and be “her children.”