Gospel in Art: We played the flute for you, and you did not dance

The Young Flute Player, by Judith Leyster. © Nationalmuseum, Stockholm

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 17 September 2025
Luke 7:31-35

At that time: Jesus said, 'To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the market-place and calling to one another,

"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, "Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.'

Reflection on the painting

The gospels show us that Jesus was very tuned in to the ordinary rhythms of daily life. His parables reveal a great gift of observation: the farmer scattering seed, the father with two very different sons, the traveller ambushed on the road, each image drawn from scenes familiar to anyone in His world. But Jesus did more than simply notice life around Him. He recognised in these everyday moments signs of God's relationship with us, and of our response to Him.

Today's Gospel highlights how closely Jesus watched children, even noticing their fun games in the marketplace. The children playing music and inviting others to dance, or pretending to mourn and calling others to join in their weeping, became for Him a picture of how people react to God's messengers. Jesus saw Himself in the figure of the child who pipes a tune, inviting all to dance. This is indeed a striking image for us to reflect on today: Christ as the piper, His ministry the melody, and we ourselves invited to respond by joining in the dance that He leads.

Judith Leyster's The Young Flute Player, painted circa 1630, captures the simple joy of music-making, echoing the delight spoken of in today's Gospel. The canvas shows a young boy absorbed in his flute playing, his expression alive with concentration. Leyster, one of the most celebrated women painters of seventeenth-century Holland, developed a distinctive style within the lively artistic culture of Haarlem. Likely connected to the circle of Frans Hals, she became an independent master when she entered the Haarlem Guild of St Luke in 1633. Though her surviving body of work numbers only around 35 paintings, many are vivid scenes of everyday life, often centred on music. nIn our painting, Leyster seems intent on making us not just see but almost hear the sound of the flute! The boy's red hat covers his youthful face, while the delicate lace collar gives him some elegance. His gaze is lifted toward the natural light falling across him, catching a playful sparkle in his eyes.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-7-31-35-2025/