24th Week in Ord. Time, Wednesday – 15th September 2021 — Gospel: Lk 7,31-35
Rejecting God’s Plan
This part of Jesus discourse is composed of rhetorical questions (7,31), a parable (7,32), its application (7,33-34) and a concluding maxim (7,35). With simple illustration, Jesus compares John and himself to children inviting people to join in their games, only to be ignored. Their rejection, of John the Baptist who was very austere as well as of Jesus who came bringing the feast of the kingdom, makes them similar to children who refused to dance for both joyful and sorrowful tunes. They have found a justification for their refusal to heed John’s call to conversion and to welcome Jesus’ proclamation of the Good News of the kingdom. On the whole Jesus’ contemporaries chose to stay where they were, and to ignore both. Ironically, John and Jesus are rejected for their faithfulness to ministries to which they believe God has called them. However God’s wisdom is demonstrated in the actions of John, and Jesus the messiah. If the people continue to reject the salvation being offered, they must know that they are rejecting God’s providential design for themselves. Those who reject the wisdom’s children (John and Jesus) are mistaken; for they are choosing to stay outside God’s circle.
