What kind of games did children play in first century Palestine when Jesus walked this earth?
Two are mentioned in the gospel today and they imitated adult activity. Children played funeral and wedding. Yes, funeral and wedding. When Jesus said the flute was played and one did not dance, he was referring to a wedding. When a dirge was sung and one did not weep, he was referring to a funeral.
In their minds, Jesus represented the wedding. He loved to party, made sure there was enough wine, but he invited the wrong kind of guests to the wedding. He invited misfits or losers. John the Baptist was the funeral, the dirge, too serious, too somber, severe. What he had to offer was not enough.
Sadly, there will always be people who will continue to play funeral and wedding; finding fault, threatening that unless things change and go their way, like children, they will pick up their ball and go home. It cannot be that way with us. We are not a church of winners and losers. In the words of St. Paul to Timothy today, we are members of the household of God, the Church of the living God.
