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People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch 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 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-16 NIV)
Children are wonderful. One of the things that fascinates me about children is their straightforward honesty. They just say what’s on their minds without thinking or worrying about what anyone will think about what they say. This past week I was reading some of the things people had written that their children had said.
Harold F. Bermel, of Havertown, Pennsylvania wrote:
When we were driving through Pennsylvania Dutch country, my seven-year-old grandson, Michael, couldn’t get over all the Amish buggies. "Grandpa, why do they use horses instead of cars?" "Because they don’t believe in automobiles," his mother explained. It was quiet for a minute, then Michael said, "But can’t they see them?"
Joy Anne Miller, of Walla Walla, Washington wrote:
Our five-year-old son Mark couldn’t wait to tell his father about the movie we had watched on television, "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." The scenes with the submarine and the giant octopus had kept him wide-eyed. In the middle of the retelling, my husband interrupted Mark: "What caused the submarine to sink?" With a look of incredulity Mark replied, "Dad, it was the 20,000 leaks!"
Mary L. Hickey, of Kirkersville, Ohio wrote:
When I was expecting my first baby, a six-year-old neighborhood girl was particularly curious. She wanted to see the baby furniture and hear our list of possible names. When she asked where the baby was, I was a walking show-and-tell even at four months. But then she asked the question that probably had been foremost in her mind: "How did the baby get in there?" "I think you’d better ask your mother about that," I said. "Oh, I tried that," she confessed. "Nobody in my family knows!"
Virginia Bartle, of New Salem, Kentucky wrote:
We hadn’t told our toddler Daylene her aunt was pregnant. At two-and-a-half years, we thought she wouldn’t notice. We were speechless when one day someone said, "Looks like Aunt Dodie has a watermelon in her tummy," to which Daylene exclaimed, "Do you think the baby will eat it?"
Mary De Guzman, of Greenville, South Carolina wrote:
One day, one of my first-grade students, Taylor, asked his grandmother if he was a child of God. "Why, of course you are, Taylor," she replied. He looked puzzled, then responded, "Well I better get home and tell Mom and Dad—they think I’m theirs!"
Linda Strater, of Elk River, Minnesota wrote:
A college roommate of mine was doing her student teaching. While she watched the second graders practice their writing, a little boy raised his hand to get her attention. "Teacher, how do you spell ‘sex’?" Startled at the question, my friend made her way to his desk and quietly asked, "What word did you want me to help you spell?" The little boy replied, "I have the first part—I-N—but I don’t know how to spell the whole word—‘Insects.’"
Children fascinate us because of this kind of honesty and because they make us laugh. They are an example many times of how we would like to be, and of what we have lost as we have grown up. But they are also an example of how we must be before God if we would receive his blessing.
Our text today is the story of Jesus receiving and blessing the little children. And what a wonderful scene this is — the Lord Jesus taking time to bless little children. This has been a favorite scene of artists. They love to paint it. It’s so easy to picture it in your minds — the children running up to Jesus, a little boy or a little girl on his lap, some tugging at his garments, clamoring for his attention. It is a wonderfully touching scene. It has been appropriately called the Magna Carta of children. It is indeed a wonderful bill of rights for children everywhere, loudly proclaiming their right to be valued and appreciated highly.
It seems that the parents, probably the mothers of these children, were bringing them to Jesus that he might bless them. It was a common practice to have your children blessed by a rabbi in those days. There was nothing unusual about it. What is unusual is that the disciples felt the need to protect Jesus from these obnoxious children. They sought to forbid the parents to bring them. Perhaps their desire to protect Jesus’ time was well intentioned, but it was misguided. And Jesus expresses here a certain sense of frustration, even anger, at the disciples’ action. In doing so, he utters some of the most profound words in all of Scripture, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." He not only affirms the value of children, but that he receives all the children who come to him. He says, "The kingdom of God belongs to such as these."
Then he gives the condition for entrance into the Kingdom of God: "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Jesus uses these children as living examples of the quality of heart necessary to receive the Kingdom of God. It is the quality of childlikeness. In order to receive the Kingdom, we must receive it like a little child. In other words, we must have a childlike heart. What kind of heart is that? What are the qualities of a childlike heart?
But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent.
(2 Cor. 11:3 NLT)Our heart needs to be childlike in its simplicity. When I use the term "simple" I am not using it in a derogatory sense. What I mean is that children are basically uncomplicated creatures. They are simple in their forthrightness, simple in their actions. They can be very frank. You could pick a small child up and he might look you in the eye and say, "How come you have such a big nose?" No beating around the bush there. He gets right to the point. Your friends may have thought it, but a little child says it. They certainly are forthright.
And this quality is true in all areas: physical, emotional and spiritual. In the physical area they let you know when they are hungry. They go to sleep when they are sleepy –– it doesn’t matter who is around or what is going on. When they have a physical need, they must be satisfied. There are other things, of course, they do at their convenience, not yours. But we won’t go into those.
On the emotional level, if they are feeling lonely or if they need love, they will come to you and seek affection. Their minds are curious. They want to explore and they go about with abandon. Now in the effort to discover the nature of things, sometimes they destroy the things they discover. But they are indeed eager to know.
In the realm of the spirit, they are filled with wonder. They are open to mystery and believe that anything just might be possible. Their tendency is to believe rather than disbelieve. Their imagination is unfettered and open. Their spirits are receptive.
Has your life become cluttered with so many things that you have forgotten the simple things that make life worth living? Have you forgotten how to share your feelings? Have you forgotten how to share your needs? Have you forgotten how to show your love and affection like a little child can? We need to be simple, straightforward, and honest, like a little child.
Teach the wise, and they will be wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn more.
(Proverbs 9:9 NLT)Our heart needs to be childlike in its teachability. We mentioned that children are passionately curious, but they are also extremely teachable. Children want to learn and they are very easily led. If you tell a child a story, they will listen in rapt attention. If you show a child a magic trick, they want to know how it’s done so they can do it too. Whether it’s learning to build a castle in the sand, learning to ride a bike, learning to fish, or learning to put on make-up, children recognize their basic need for help and instruction. And they listen and they follow an example. They are teachable –– easily molded. That is a characteristic of a childlike heart.
Have you maintained a teachable heart? Many people lose this attitude. They become prideful and don’t want anyone telling them what to do or even suggesting that there may be a better way to do it. This is one of the quickest ways to be disqualified by God. I have personally seen Christians, with great potential to be used in great ways by God, put on the shelf because they lost their teachable spirit. No one could tell them anything. They knew best. They had lost their ability to learn and change, which was what the very work God was doing in their lives. Are you teachable?
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.
(Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)Our heart needs to be childlike in its trust. By nature, children are trustful. Now, you can certainly train them to be otherwise, and through various experiences in life they may become otherwise. But children have an inborn ability to trust.
I used to play a little game with my children when they were very young. They used to love to use the bed as a trampoline. Most of us, I suppose, have done that at one time or another. It is great fun. Occasionally, I would stand at the end of the bed and ask them to literally dive off into my arms. I would assure them I would catch them and they would not hit the floor. Now, they had never done this before, but did they debate on whether dad would catch them? No. They were trustful. With just the suggestion, they would fling themselves into the air and, in sheer delight, land in my arms. Now, you can teach your children not to trust you by proving not to be trustworthy. But by nature they will naturally trust you. That is a characteristic of a childlike heart.
Have you been burned so many times that you find it hard to trust? People can disappoint you. Sometimes it is even hard to trust God. But unless we trust, we can’t really have faith, because that is essentially what faith is –– trust. The only way to rediscover trust in God is to spend time with him focusing on the reality of his love for you. When you see how much he loves you, you will find that you are able to trust him. He is trustworthy.
Forgive us for our sins, just as we have forgiven those who sinned against us.
(Matthew 6:12 NCV)Our heart needs to be childlike in its forgiveness. Have you ever noticed how forgiving children can be? This is even more amazing in light of how children can hurt one another. Yet, they can be fighting one minute and best buddies the next. When a child does something to hurt or anger another child, many times a simple "sorry" is enough to restore the relationship.
And even when we parents do things that are hurtful to them, our children forgive us and keep on loving us. A tragic illustration of the extent of a child's ability to forgive is found in child abuse. Child abuse is unforgivable. That people would abuse their own children makes my blood boil. But what is amazing is that these abused children are willing to forgive the one who abused them. That's incredible. But children are that forgiving.
How is your forgiveness factor? Do you forgive others? Or are you holding grudges against other people? We must remember just how much we have been forgiven. If we really understand that, we will be more forgiving ourselves.
"If you love me, you will obey my commands.
(John 14:15 NCV)Finally, our heart needs to be childlike in its responsiveness. Children respond to what they’re taught. I suppose because they are trustful, they are eager to take immediate action. When I asked my children to leap off the bed, they did it right away. As a matter of fact, I recollect that they did it before they had enough instruction from dad. Two children leaping at you at the same time can be a challenging experience. But that’s the nature of children — they are responsive. Sometimes they don’t respond always to our liking. But they do respond.
Along these lines, let me say that I believe that the responsiveness of children is based on a desire to please their parents. Certainly, children are self-willed. Children want to do what they want to do. But on the other hand, I believe there is a desire, deep down inside, to please mom and dad. As a matter of fact, some can testify that the desire to please a parent has driven them to extremes, has even caused problems in their adult life. We do want to make dad happy. We do want to make mom proud. We do want to hear those words, "Well done." Children will go to great lengths to please their parents. And even if their selfish will gets in the way at times, the desire is still there. They want dad to put his arm around their shoulder and say, "Son, I want you to know I’m proud of you;" or "Sweetheart, you did a great job. I’m proud of you." They desire to make us proud, so they are responsive.
Are you responsive to God? Do you really desire to please him? Is that your motivation? Is it your desire to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."?
Do you have these childlike qualities? Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." When you come to Jesus in simplicity, with a teachable heart, trusting in him, forgiving others and responding to his invitation, then the door of the Kingdom is wide open to you and to all who have a childlike heart.
In Executive Edge newsletter, management consultant Ken Blanchard retells the story of a little girl named Schia. When Schia was 4 years old, her baby brother was born.
Little Schia began to ask her parents to leave her alone with the new baby. They worried that, like most 4-year-olds, she might want to hit or shake him, so they said no. Over time, though, since Schia wasn’t showing signs of jealousy, they changed their minds and decided to let Schia have her private conference with the baby. Elated, Schia went into the baby’s room and shut the door, but it opened a crack––enough for her curious parents to peek in and listen. They saw little Schia walk quietly up to her baby brother, put her face close to his, and say, "Baby, tell me what God feels like. I’m starting to forget."
Have you grown older and forgotten God? It’s not too late to return to the one who created you. Jesus taught that to enter the kingdom of God, we must simply receive it like a little child.
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