Saturday, March 1, 2014 [The Kingdom of God and Little Children]
Mark 10:13-15
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
Imagine the scene. Jesus is being swarmed by parents who are bringing their children to Him from every angle. He was so popular that He could hardly go anywhere without being noticed. And, once He was noticed, everyone wanted Him to bless, heal, or deliver their loved ones. But, the disciples thought that Jesus' REAL ministry was too important to involve praying over children. They received quite a surprise.
In Matthew 18, when the disciples ask Jesus who is considered to be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven (aka Kingdom of God), Jesus calls a little child to Himself and says, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven."
Little children are dependent on their parents for everything. They can't supply all of their needs because they actually don't even know exactly what they need. Without guidance, support, and encouragement they cannot thrive. I love to hear a three-year old ask questions about anything. Their favorite response to any answer you give them is "Why?" Everything that a big person says to one of these little people is received as the truth. They are so trusting, so impressionable, and ready to receive. "Anyone who will not receive [the rule and reign of God] like a little child will never enter it." (v. 15)
One of the downfalls of growing up in this fallen world is that we often learn how to survive, seemingly by our own wits. We get this worldly intellect that helps us navigate our existence in society. We learn to be skeptical of everyone, rationalize everything, and live a life of unlimited critique. We even evaluate Jesus by these standards - our experience, our education - only to find out that if we want to enter the Kingdom of God we have to strip ourselves of these things and become little children again, dependent, needy and humble.
God is not impressed by our education. Our phenomenal life experiences do not cause Him to pause and gasp in amazement. The great successes we have had and the accolades we have received are nice, but they don't grab His attention. It's when we run toward Him, like we did when we were little children, our arms open wide and our hearts open wider, that we hear, "the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (v. 14)
Questions:
Where in your life has rationalization and reason overtaken God's simple truth?
What are you trying to control? Why?
In what areas of your life do you need to become like a little child?
-----
We love your comments!
Meet up with us on FaceBook @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/192897197465389/
"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace" (Numbers 6:24-26)
Kenny Sullivan
No comments:
Post a Comment