Matthew 11:9-17

9Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet.

10John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.’

11“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!

12And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.

13For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time.

14And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come.

15Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

16“To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,

17‘We played wedding songs, and you didn’t dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t mourn.’