You Can't Please Everyone

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Matthew 11:16-19

“But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

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But it’s all right now, I learned my lesson well.
You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself.

"Garden Party" by Rick Nelson with the Stone Canyon Band from the album of the same name

Jesus gives the word to this generation. He rightly tells the crowd that they expected one thing and got something completely different. This did not please them.

The crowd played the flute, but John did not dance.
The crowd sang a dirge, but Jesus did not mourn.

This isn’t code speech at all. When the holy people got John the Baptist, they didn’t want his harsh words and chilling indictments. John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon.” The people expected one thing and got another. Instead of “shining, happy people” they got the prophet in a leather poncho eating bugs. While the bugs he was eating were within Jewish dietary requirements, they surely weren’t the kind of food the temple leaders ate.

When the holy people got Jesus, they wanted someone who was a more reserved, more reverent. The last thing they wanted was some drunken glutton drawing attention to himself, especially considering the low-life’s he was hanging out with. He’s way too far out on a limb dealing with sinful men and (shocking!) sinful women.

When the holy people met both men, they would have preferred someone who would tell them what they wanted to hear, what they expected to hear.

Isn’t that always the way it is?

As sure as the people were unhappy with the oddball prophet from the wilderness, they weren’t happy with the one who followed him either.

You just can’t please everybody, can you? You act like an Old Testament prophet and the people tell you to lighten up. You lighten up and the people tell you you’ve gone too far and need to reel it back in a notch.

John just doesn’t fit in with what the mainstream establishment considered to be proper. Jesus doesn’t fit in with the mainstreamers either and upsets all worldly wisdom. In the end Jesus reminds the crowd that “wisdom is proved right by her actions.”

As Nelson sang, you can’t please everyone. Jesus says, “You say John had a demon and I’m a glutton and drunkard who hangs out with tax collectors and ‘sinners.’” Rick sings ya got to please yourself. Jesus doesn’t go there though.

Instead of pleasing himself Jesus is concerned with pleasing the Father. “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth because you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and revealed them to the little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.”

Jesus sings, ya can’t please everyone, so ya got to please the Lord.

John prepares the way. Jesus calls the tune. Jesus and John show there are times to mourn and times to dance. It is up to us to follow whatever music or Lord calls.