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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat_11:16-19
16"But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, 17and say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.'18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
Mat_11:16 "like children sitting in the market place" This is paralleled in Luk_7:31-32. Even though John the Baptist came as an ascetic (i.e., a prophet from the desert, like Elijah), the Jews rejected him. Jesus came as one who readily associated with humans of all social levels and yet they rejected Him too. This either speaks of the fickleness of the Jewish leaders or shows their preconceived biases.
Mat_11:17 "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance" This social approach referred to the way Jesus interacted with people (cf. Mat_11:19). The flute could be used for dancing (Mat_11:17 a) at both a party or a funeral (Mat_11:17 b).
▣ "we sang a dirge, but you did not mourn" This somber approach referred to the ministry of John the Baptist (cf. Mat_11:18).
Mat_11:18 "He has a demon" This same charge is made against Jesus in Mat_9:34; Mat_12:24 (cf. Joh_7:20; Joh_8:48-49; Joh_8:52; Joh_10:20). This is the only text that accuses John of having a demon. The Jews could not deny the power of either John or Jesus, but claimed that their source of authority and power was the evil one. This, ultimately, is the unpardonable sin.
Mat_11:19 "The Son of Man" This was Jesus' self-chosen title because it had no militaristic nor nationalistic implications. It combined the human and divine aspects of Christ's nature (cf. Eze_2:1; Psa_8:4; Dan_7:13). The combination of aspects became a crucial NT truth (cf. 1Jn_4:13).
▣ "a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners" Jesus acted in a very unexpected way. He befriended the same people the religious leaders rejected (cf. Mat_9:11; Luk_5:30; Luk_7:34; Luk_15:2). This fulfills the Messianic predictions of Isaiah.
Religious legalism and asceticism have been such a spiritual/theological struggle for the church that I would like to quote a brief section from New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 1, p. 495.
"Viewed as a whole, however, asceticism in the sense of renunciation of possessions, sexual activity, and food-restrictions is not generally enjoined by the teaching of Jesus in the Gospels. This does not mean that renunciation by a particular person in a concrete situation is excluded (cf. the story of the rich young ruler, Mat_19:21). It is only that from such passages (cf. Mat_11:19; Mat_9:14 ff; Mar_2:18 f; Luk_5:33 ff.), one cannot deduce a basic attitude on the part of Jesus, just as one cannot deduce his will for the overall validity of an ascetic ethic. Renunciation is only demanded where something stands in the way of following Jesus."
Mat_11:19
NASB, NRSV "Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds"
NKJV "But wisdom is justified by her children"
TEV "God's wisdom, however, is shown to be true by its results"
NJB "Yet wisdom has been proved right by her actions"
The mention of "wisdom" alludes to Proverbs 8, where it is personified. Jesus is that personification. An example of this imagery is seen in Mat_12:42, where Jesus is greater than the wisdom of Solomon (also note He is greater than the temple, Mat_12:6 and greater than Jonah, Mat_12:41). Even Jesus' use of "yoke" in Mat_11:29 may be a reference to wisdom teachings.
There is a Greek manuscript variation here. By her " deeds" is found in the ancient Greek uncial manuscripts à , B, and W, while " children" is found in the Corrector of Vaticanus B2, C, D, K, and L. " Children" is the parallel in Luk_7:35 and seems to be added here by scribes to make the passages agree. "Deeds" may refer to Mat_11:2. The UBS4 gives " deeds" a "B" rating (almost certain). The same truth is expressed in the phrase " by their fruits you shall know them" (cf. Mat_7:16; Mat_7:20; Mat_12:33). This is true of Jesus and of all people. The acts of Jesus in Matthew 8-9 revealed to those who would see that He was the promised Messiah (cf. Isa_29:18-19; Isa_35:5-6; Isa_61:1-2).