Now
they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the
disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let
the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the
kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of
God like a child shall not enter it.” Luke 18:15-17 (also Matt. 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16)
In the case of both Mark and
Matthew there is no indication that Jesus leaves the area being described as “into the borders of Judea and beyond
Jordan” (Mark 10:1 and Matthew 19:1), which we have surmised as across the
Jordan and along the edge of Perea – a common route for sojourners to
Jerusalem. As well, as Luke picks
up to record this event we find that from here each of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) will more often
be parallel than even in Jesus’ Galilean ministry (early chapters). Having this account recorded by each of
these, then, speaks to its impact on Jesus’ disciples and the early church – I
suspect for two reasons, because of what the disciples did and their embarrassment over it, and what Jesus then said and the profound and realized truth it
brought to them.
In our day and time children
hold the focus of our attention – the center of our familial world. With most families whom I pastor the family schedule is set by the activities of their children. And
rare is the time I do not see a kind of ‘front and center’ response from adults as their children and/or grandchildren enter into the conversation or room.
Now though I could write for
a while on the impact of this and why I think so many times is
not really our children whom we are worshipping but parents worshipping themselves through children, suffice it to say this proclivity
was not so in Christ’s time. Children were to seen not heard. They were raised to become productive
adults and successful members of community by participating in household roles
and duties under the oversight of parents and receiving teaching under the
instruction of their father in the Law of Moses and God.
Still, in Jewish society the
practice of ‘blessing’ was a factor.
The patriarchs of Israel passed blessings to their offspring, and there
are many cases in the Bible where we read accounts of a father or grandfather
speaking a significant blessing over one of his family members. So that a spoken blessing from a father or mother held great worth in the
family, as it was viewed as holding power and privilege, and
this concept played a role in the actions and habits of parents, especially
with their infants, as they began life together with a new child (cf. Jesus being carried into
the temple by his parents and blessed by Simeon)
Now as this occurred Jesus was experiencing incredible popularity. Great
crowds were following him along his route and as He was healing and teaching throngs of people were about
Him. For these, then, to bring
their children to Him that they might receive a touch, a kiss, or even
perhaps a word of blessing form Him was not unexpected. Still, the disciples - likely assuming
the role of protecting the ‘time’ of their Master - saw this as excessive and ‘rebuked’ them. And this is when Jesus called them to himself, and taught them a lesson they would never
forget. And though I don’t believe
Jesus was mad at His disciples, I do think He saw this as an opportunity to
teach them an important truth. Jesus was not reminding them that His Kingdom is made only of children, but that a child-like personage
(meaning faith, simplicity, trust and even care) is the gist of what His
Kingdom is all about a and how it is acquired.
So this is not complicated when you think about it. Children, especially infants, hold a capacity of trust and
reliance, which we as adults have long lost. Our sufficiency – the commodity that makes for successful adulthood – is
often a roadblock when it comes to things of God – and our self-reliance can
keep us from not only knowing him, but from following Him, too.
As we ready ourselves for
Easter, let’s be reminded of Christ and little children – the 'infants,' as our
translation shows. For without
this kind of response to the King, we cannot enter into His Kingdom. How might we become more like they are in our response to Christ – not just at the first, but continually, all
the day long? For we to must never forget that 'of
such is the Kingdom of God.'
Pastor Sam
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