The Mad and Fickle Mob

“But to what shall I compare this generation? They are like children in the marketplace, who call out to the other children and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ For John [the Baptist] came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ The 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.” – Matthew 11:16-20

Every revolutionary movement claims to throw off the yoke of some oppression, to break the bonds of some expected conformity that stifles freedom in one way or another. Yet, for all their lofty talk, I find that most such movements have very exacting standards of conformity. Those who would dialogue with them must agree to their definitions or there can be no ‘real’ dialogue. Those who would try to accommodate them must agree to their demands entirely or there can be no ‘real’ accommodation.

They are most merciless of all within their own ranks. Dissent from the prevailing group opinion is sacrilege, treason—not merely to the group itself but to the higher ideal it supposedly represents. While they speak of freedom, they demand the most exacting standards of obedience. If they say, “March!” you had better ask “How far?” If they say, “Jump!” you had better ask “How high?”

Mobs are fickle by nature, and as prone to devouring their own as anything else that gets in their way, if not more so. This is the unfortunate lesson that awaits those currently stirring up agitation and grinning while it does the work they dare not do themselves. They’ve lit things on fire, and, fools that they are, they think it will burn only where and what they see fit. Because they have no regard for any history other than the one they envision, they’re unaware that the winds of revolution change frequently, and will, sooner or later, blow the fires they’ve lit back on themselves. Today’s saints may well be tomorrow’s heretics.

The point of what Jesus is saying in the text I quoted from Matthew 11 is that the mob is fickle and never satisfied. If they want to find fault with you, they will, and the standards by which they do so will change by the day—for the only real standard they have is the need for finding fault. Wisdom, on the other hand, does not bow to the mob. It’s not afraid of being called names or having its motives questioned. Truth is not afraid of lies. Lies, however, are always afraid of truth. In this way, wisdom is vindicated. It holds to truth and does not change because truth does not change. John and Jesus came preaching the same message with different ministry styles, yet the mob found fault with both them, demonstrating that it was chiefly the message they hated rather than the men.

If you want to see what a person or a movement is really made of, start agreeing with them and see what they do. They may have criticized you in the past for one thing or another, but if you get on-message with them, you’ll likely find that they will either excuse what they used to condemn as faults in you, or else they’ll portray those things as peculiar types of strength—“It takes all kinds, you know. This just demonstrates the diversity of our movement!” Pamper their egos and you’ll get even better results. In this way, you will see what they truly value.

If you want the praise of the mob, it’s easy enough to get. Just be prepared to change quickly, and often, and keep your real self hidden well out of sight.

* Scripture taken from the NASB.
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