the hearts of unconverted men are often desperately perverse

“To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, 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, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
—Luke 7:31–35

We learn, in the first place from these verses, that the hearts of unconverted men are often desperately perverse as well as wicked.

Our Lord brings out this lesson in a remarkable comparison describing the generation of men among whom He lived while He was on earth. He compares them to children. He says that children at play were not more wayward, perverse, and hard to please than the Jews of His day. Nothing would satisfy them. They were always finding fault. Whatever ministry God employed among them they took exception to it. With whatever messenger God sent among them they were not pleased.

First came John the Baptist living a retired, ascetic, self-denying life. At once the Jews said, “He has a demon!” After him the Son of Man came eating and drinking and adopting habits of social life like the ordinary run of men. At once the Jews accused Him of being a glutton and a drunkard!

In short, it became evident that the Jews were determined to receive no message from God at all. Their pretended objections were only a cloak to cover over their hatred of God’s truth. What they really disliked was not so much God’s ministers as God Himself.

Perhaps we read this account with wonder and surprise. We think that never were men so wickedly unreasonable as these Jews were. But are we sure that their conduct is not continually repeated among Christians? Do we not know that the same thing is continually going on around us at the present day? As strange as it may seem at first sight, the generation which will neither dance when their companions [play] the flute, nor weep when they [sing] a dirge is only too numerous in the church of Christ.

Is it not a fact that many who strive to serve Christ faithfully and walk closely with God find their neighbors and relatives always dissatisfied with their conduct? No matter how holy and consistent their lives may be, they are always thought wrong. If they withdraw entirely from the world and live, like John the Baptist, a retired and ascetic life, then the cry is raised that they are exclusive, narrow-minded, sour-spirited, and self-righteous. If, on the other hand, they go much into society and endeavor as far as they can to take interest in their neighbors’ pursuits, the remark is soon made that they are no better than other people and have no more real religion than those who make no profession at all.

Treatment like this is only too common. Few are the decided Christians who do not know it by bitter experience. The servants of God in every age, whatever they do, are blamed.

The plain truth is that the natural heart of man hates God. The carnal mind is enmity against God. It dislikes His law, His gospel, and His people. It will always find some excuse for not believing and obeying. The doctrine of repentance is too strict for it. The doctrine of faith and grace is too easy for it. John the Baptist goes too much out of the world. Jesus Christ goes too much into the world. And so the heart of man excuses itself for sitting still in its sins.

All of this must not surprise us. We must make up our minds to find unconverted people as perverse, unreasonable, and hard to please as the Jews of our Lord’s time.

We must give up the vain idea of trying to please everybody. The thing is impossible and the attempt is a mere waste of time. We must be content to walk in Christ’s steps and let the world say what it likes. Do what we will, we shall never satisfy it or silence its bitter remarks. The world first found fault with John the Baptist and then with his blessed Master. And it will go on quibbling and finding fault with that Master’s disciples so long as one of them is left upon earth!

—J.C. Ryle, ‘Expository Thoughts on Luke’