Matthew 11:17

Plain English Version

‘We played happy music for you, but you didn’t dance. So we sang a sad song, but you didn’t cry. No matter what we do, you say we are wrong.’

Cross References

Genesis 50:10

After a while, Joseph and his mob got to the place called Atad, near the Jordan River. There was a place there with flat ground, where farmers sometimes sorted their plants. Joseph and his mob stopped there, and they cried loudly for Joseph’s father. Joseph and his mob cried for 7 days, and they did other things to show that they were very sad.

Matthew 11:16

Then Jesus said, “Now I’ll talk about you people that are alive today and I’ll tell you what you are like. You are like kids that are playing in the street. Some kids say to the other kids,

Matthew 11:18

Those kids are a picture of you mob. You are just like those kids. You rubbish God’s people no matter what they do. You see, John the Baptiser didn’t go to parties and eat lots of good food, and he didn’t drink wine. But you rubbished him and said, ‘He’s got a bad spirit living inside him.’

Luke 15:25

While all that was happening, the oldest son was working out in the garden, and he didn’t know what was going on. Then later, he knocked off work, and he started walking home. He got near to the house, and then he heard a lot of music, and he heard people dancing and having a good time.

Luke 23:27

A big mob of people followed Jesus. There were a lot of women among them. They were really sad. They were crying really loud, and they were hitting themselves.