Matthew 11:16 Commentary and Bible Study

The verses from this point to the end of the chapter are about obstacles to understanding, why the people fell away. They had heard John and so many were baptized, and yet they fell away. His popularity had waned and they forgot their vows to God.This is the only reference to children’s games in the New Testament. They are playing weddings and funerals; probably we should imagine a number of boys divided into two groups. First they play weddings. One group of children are acting as the musicians to entertain and the other act as the guests. The musician group play happy music on flutes and pipes, and the guests are supposed to go along with this and dance in response, but they are not cooperating with the game. Then the musicians play again but this time they are playing funerals, and it is a dirge, a mournful tune. The guests are supposed to mourn, to beat their breasts and weep. But again, the children acting as guests do not cooperate with the game, so once more the musicians feel that the others are not playing the game properly. We don’t know why, but the game did not come off as it should have: ‘We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.’