Today we are
going to look at how Jesus acted towards and taught about children.
1.
Importance
of Children
There was
something about Jesus that made parents want to bring their children to him. It
was common for devout Jewish mothers to bring their children to a revered rabbi
for a blessing. So at the very least, these people acknowledged that Jesus was
an honourable teacher. But there was likely to be a bigger reason than this …
something about Jesus’ openness to people, especially the powerless.
Imagine how these
parents felt when the disciples blocked their path! Jesus had just taught his
disciples about not being a “stumbling block” to others, and here they are
being precisely that – a ‘barrier’ that gets in the way. We shall come back to
this. The Gospels are very honest about the disciples … the fact that they
often didn’t get it. But we should note that the purpose of this honesty about
these disciples, is for the reader to look deep into themselves.
The disciples
would have argued no doubt that Jesus was busy, and his time and energy were in
great demand. However sometimes we have to assess priorities with good clarity.
In days gone by, people used to say that children should be seen and not heard,
and such like. Adults have first call on the air space. But the way in which
Jesus speaks about children is surely contrary to this. All children are of the
highest value (and they need to be heard). Whatever our agendas are as adults,
we should take into account our high level of accountability for how well the
children in our networks are nurtured.
Do we ever
repress the excitement of children because this is too inconvenient? Can we be
‘kill-joys’? Can we miss potentially special moments? Can we paint very rigid
(or even grim) views of God? It is very important that all children leave
church gatherings with a keen sense that God loves them, and that God’s people
love them too.
We can hark back
here to the verse in the previous chapter (9:42). If any of you put a
stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be
better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were
thrown into the sea.
A “stumbling
block” is a hindrance, a barrier, or a hurdle – that someone might trip over.
In this context such a “stumbling block” is both unnecessary and inappropriate.
Such “stumbling blocks” disrupt growth and obstruct faith. The context of
this verse certainly allows us to see “little ones” as referring especially to
children. So, how is it that the church, generally speaking, has at times been
so inattentive to this? We know that evil people can go about quietly doing
evil things, but how can it ever be justified to cover this over?!? Well, it
can never be justified; and segments of the church have rightly taken some
heat! Repentance is required!
But then the
governments of all persuasions have to look at themselves as well. What
“stumbling blocks” are still being erected between children and their physical,
emotional and spiritual well-being? Right throughout the whole Bible, God’s
people are taught and challenged to look after, with priority, the most
vulnerable. A change of direction is required!
The ethical and
spiritual health of a society can be assessed in terms of how well we treat the
most vulnerable and powerless – the elderly, the unwell, the disadvantaged, AND
THE CHILDREN. And we should look beyond our own borders to the children of the
world – where continual cutbacks in foreign aid literally cost lives.
What other
“stumbling blocks” may we put up that become barriers to children experiencing
God’s love? Lack of forgiveness, lack of care, lack of patience, lack of
tolerance, lack of understanding, lack of listening, lack of guidance, lack of boundary-setting; or an
inability to control anger? A change of heart may be required!
For those who
place “stumbling blocks” before “little ones”, there is a harsh judgement; one
that would be worse than having a huge heavy stone hung around the neck on the
way to being thrown into the sea. I think the treatment of children is being
taken seriously here (in the Bible)!!
So of course,
Jesus, rightly annoyed and offended, said to his disciples, “Let the little
children come to me; do not stop them”. And there’s more! “… Do not stop them;
for it is to such as these that the Kingdom of God belongs”. Children are the
natural and rightful recipients of all God’s blessing. And within such children
we can detect the image of God in which they were created. [Refer also Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13-14]
Let us not get in
their way, hold them back, or push them away. So the opposite to being a
‘hindrance’ or ‘barrier’, would be to welcome children, just as Jesus did here.
Jesus wanted to hold and bless every one of them, for each was very valuable. With each new
child, there is an opportunity of a better world!
2.
Welcoming
Children
For this more on this we can also go
back to 9:36-37. Then Jesus took a little child and put it among them; and
taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such
child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the
one who sent me”. Welcoming others, in this case, children, is the way in
which we can welcome God into our lives. Or to put this another way, to lack in
welcome, hinders God wholly welcoming us. This is because, if we look at the
context, we can be too interested in our own desires, to be fully open to
others. We need to have an attitude of servanthood, rather than an attitude of
privilege. In the society to which Jesus spoke, this would have been a big
stretch; for children were not held in high regard and were afforded no
particular honour – culturally speaking, serving them would never bring any
prestige … to welcome unknown children (rather than the rich and famous) would
normally bring no honour. But Jesus has a different view … quite the
opposite – to welcome and serve powerless children, actually welcomes the most
powerful dynamic imaginable into your life.
So, what are some ways of being
‘welcoming’??
·
Children should be fully appreciated, shown warm
acceptance and loving consideration, encouraged, given wise training and a
place to belong. Their readiness to comply with the wishes of their parents is
related to their perception of whether they are receiving unconditional love.
·
Children
need to be listened to, in an attempt to discover their personalities and
interests, rather than having things imposed on them. Children need to be
afforded patience. It is in this way that any discipline that needs applying,
will be done in the right way and in the best interests of the child.
·
Praying
for our children.
3. Children as
Example
In verse 15, Jesus holds children up as an example of how we can be
ready to enter the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is the realm in which
people live according to God’s will and purposes. What is it about children
that make them naturals for the Kingdom of God? What is it about children that
we can emulate?? What characteristics or qualities do they reveal???
·
Innocence – pure, unspoiled; for adults
who have made mistakes leading to feelings of guilt and shame, seeking and
receiving forgiveness is the return path to innocence.
·
Spontaneity – excitement, enthusiasm; when I see a
puddle of mud I step around it … I see muddy shoes and dirty carpet – kids see
a mud puddle and sit in it … they see dams to build, rivers to cross and worms
to play with! Adults can easily become tired, over-stretched or tied up in
knots. Connected with this is …
·
Unclutteredness – being empty-handed, freedom; adults can be
weighed down by possessions or the continual pursuit of things, generally
carrying too much baggage. Adults often have to declutter their lives before
it’s too late – deal with things that are holding them captive.
·
Dependence – having no feelings of self-sufficiency; adults tend
to want to do their own thing, run their own race, make their own decisions,
rely on their own abilities, be accountable to as few people as possible, try
to limit responsibility … be independent. Children best reveal that we all
remain interdependent – we have been created as social creatures who
need each other and primarily need God. Connected with this is …
·
Simple trust – a natural response to the love and
welcome of others, a seeking for love; unfortunately many adults have lost
the ability to trust because life (i.e. people) has brought some hard knocks,
they have felt let-down in relationships, or been used and abused. The
discovery of a completely faithful God who suffers with the suffering is the
pathway back to trust.
·
Openness to learn – inquisitive, receptive; rather than
the adult who thinks they know it all. Knowing our need and ‘humility’ leads us
to God.
When all the complexity of adolescence and adulthood impacts us, we may
need to recapture some of the characteristics of a child (if we are to
effectively respond to God’s invitation into His Kingdom).
So as Jesus took those children up into his arms that day and blessed
them, he is also offering us a blessing as well. Jesus did more that day than
even those parents asked of him. They wanted Jesus to just touch their children
… give them a little high-five. Jesus took them up in his arms, each one of
them, embraced them, and gave them his blessing. This is actually what he wants
to do for all of us. But to receive this blessing, we sometimes need to return
to being as uncluttered, trusting and receptive as children.
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