Kid Games
When we were kids, we played games just for the fun of it.
'To what then will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? 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 wailed, and you did not weep." For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, "He has a demon"; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, "Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.' - Luke 7:31-35
In today's Gospel, Jesus talks about the games children play and he compares all of us to them. We are like kids shouting and having fun, without any other purpose in mind.
Is that a bad thing?
On the surface, no, but Jesus may be drawing a comparison here to the words of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
Instead of weeping and dancing in their time, the children shout at each other and do nothing.
Sound familiar?
It reminds me of the current discourse in our country, with people resorting to shouting rather than enjoying the game they would normally play together.
Once we have convinced ourselves the other is evil, all bets are off. We can easily justify anything we say, and ignore anything they say.
Such is the case with Jesus and John the Baptist. Convinced they must be troublemakers, word spreads that one has a demon and the other is a drunkard.
We may think what we are witnessing today is unique, because the tools we use to attack each other are new, but deep down, we are all just children, bored with the game, giving up the fun of play for something else, actions that lead to shouting, pushing and leaving in a huff.
But when we were kids, the anger didn't last. We would take a break and then be out there again the next day or the next hour, playing and laughing again.
There was a time for shouting and a time for laughing.
Maybe we should try to be kids again, and just play nice.
More to come...