“13 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.”
I think that we can all agree that childhood is a precious time. It is a time of relative innocence. It is a time to be nurtured. It is a time of awe and wonder. In our best moments, we parents get to re-enter childhood.
Kenny Loggins wrote a song about those moments. It’s called Return to Pooh Cornerand this verse describes his son, Luke, going to bed holding Loggins’s old stuffed teddy bear, Winnie the Pooh.
“It’s hard to explain how a few precious things seem to follow throughout all our lives after all’s said and done I was watching my son sleeping there with my bear by his side; so, I tucked him in, I kissed him and as I was going, I swear that the old bear whispered, ‘boy, welcome home.’ Believe me if you can I’ve finally come back to the house at Pooh Corner by one. What do you know? There’s so much to be done: count all the bees in the hive, chase all the clouds from the sky. Back to the days of Christopher Robin… Back to the days of Pooh.”
I hope this delight in children and childhood makes sense to you. I hope you remember the relative innocence and delightful imagination of childhood. I hope you nourish and protect it for your children.
This would have made no sense to the world we are about to enter. First century literature doesn’t show the slightest sympathy for children. Greek and Roman fathers had the legal right to discard babies, and they often exercised that right. Childhood wasn’t seen as a precious time in those days. Back to Pooh Cornerwouldn’t hit the Billboard Hot 100 in those days. No one would even have thought to write a song like that.
In fact, much of what is right about the way we view children and childhood today comes from Scriptures like the one we will study this morning. Much of what is right about how we view children and childhood comes from Jesus confronting the culture we see this morning. Christianity and the church has been a source of profound good for children. In many ways, what is beautiful about childhood came out of the church.
Do you think Jesus has something to teach you about children and childhood? Do you think that Jesus has something to teach this church about children? We too have much to learn from the master. He’s teaching us even as he taught his first disciples.
I want to know what I’m supposed to do with my children. I want to treat them as Jesus treats them. I want to listen to what he has to say about my children and about childhood. He tells me that I am to bring my children to him. I am to invite them to meet Jesus. He tells me that I, too, am to become like a little child.
Nathan and Jacklyn must invite Lydia to meet Jesus. Jesus tells Nathan and Jacklyn that they too must become like a little child.
We must take our children to Jesus and become like little children. That’s the claim of this sermon: we must take our children to Jesus and become like little children.
We will see this in two points. First: taking our children to Jesus. Second: becoming like little children. First, in verses 13-14, we see parents taking children to Jesus. Second, in verses 15-16, we see what we adults can learn from children and what we adults hope you children never unlearn.
First: taking our children to Jesus. Mark picks up this account as Jesus is in the midst of some intense teaching. He has been debating with the Pharisees about marriage and divorce. There was a rich man in the crowd waiting to ask Jesus a question. Jesus was preparing to tell his disciples about his impending death and resurrection. These were important, weighty, grown-up matters.
The disciples thought these matters were too important to be interrupted by children. Verse 13, “People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.”
The disciples thought they were helping Jesus. They saw Him having all these important conversations with consequential people. They saw something precious was about to be interrupted by riffraff.
In many ways, children are high status in our culture. They are important. That was not the case in that day. Children had very low status. They were only potentially important. My sister taught at a school in rural Florida and the school mascot was the PUPS –Potentially Useful Public Servants. I always thought that was such a disparaging acronym. ‘That’s my little Joey. He’s only potentially useful.’
The disciples saw children as potentially important meaning they weren’t important now. The Pharisees, they were important. Wrong, but important. That rich ruler was important. These children were not, and their parents should have known better than to bring them to interrupt Jesus. The disciples thought they were protecting the dignity of Jesus’ work. ‘A CEO doesn’t answer his junk mail. Why should Jesus bother with these children?’
Jesus didn’t agree. “When Jesus saw this, he was indignant.” Indignant. This is a weighty word. We see this same Greek word used when James and John asked Jesus if they could be his right and left-hand men in the kingdom. ‘Jesus, forget about Peter and Matthew. What do they have to offer? Put us in charge.’ Mark tells us, “When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.” They were angry and disgusted with this power grab. They were steamed.
That’s the anger Jesus felt when his disciples pushed these children away. He was indigent. Jesus gets angry. Do you have a place for Jesus’ anger in your faith? Anger is part of Jesus and he’s perfect. He is worthy of your admiration in everything. We often see Jesus angry in the gospels. He was angry with the Pharisees’ artificial faith. He was angry with Peter’s misunderstandings. He was angry with the administrators of the temple. Jesus’ anger is always perfectly righteous. He is never angry with anything that doesn’t anger God. Unlike us, he never did or does anything he regrets in his anger. Can you appreciate the anger of Jesus? It’s a proper part of him. It’s part of his response towards hard-hearted, unrepentant sin then and now.
He was angry with his disciples here. He was angry because his disciples were keeping the powerless, people of low status, away from him. “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Remember the beatitudes. Remember who Jesus says is blessed in his kingdom. It is the powerless, the people of low status. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
Dale Bruner is right. “According to Jesus, the dependent, unable, helpless, passive, and weak are the real citizens of the heavenly kingdom. These are different people from those whom we usually allow to enter our kingdoms or clubs. Those whom instinct disqualifies, Jesus qualifies.”
If you think you are uniquely important enough to enter the kingdom of God, you do not understand the kingdom. If you think others are too unworthy to enter the kingdom at your level, you do not understand the kingdom. The kingdom belongs to people like these children who couldn’t add anything to Jesus. The kingdom belongs to the unimportant who don’t proudly assume they deserve Jesus’ attention. The kingdom belongs to the helpless.
If you think you can add something to the Jesus movement, your help is not needed. If you think you are doing Jesus a favor by following him, you are not following him.
Jesus invited the powerless and the unimportant. That doesn’t mean that Jesus was telling his disciples that every child is God’s special snowflake. This isn’t a sentimental view of children that excuses their sin. Jesus’ words aren’t blanket approval of everyone who is powerless, but Jesus was angry that the powerless were kept from him.
Jesus was angry with his disciples because they couldn’t see that they were keeping away people who were just like themselves. These children couldn’t add anything to Jesus. That’s why the disciples kept them away, but do you think the disciples could add anything to Jesus? Do you think the rich ruler could add anything to Jesus? “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay Him? For from Him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever!”
I’m not simply saying that the children were just as the adults. I’m saying that no one is important enough to meet with the God-man but in his mercy, Jesus delights to meet with powerless and hopeless people like these children and like the rich ruler and like you and me. Everyone meets Jesus by grace.
Jesus was angry with his disciples because even after repeated instruction they didn’t see who they were. They were helpless, dependent, incredibly needy people who were barring helpless, dependent, incredibly needy people from the kingdom.
Do you think you have a lot to offer, arguably much more than others? Do you think that if only this church was a bit more like you, we would be a lot better off? Do you think your particular skillset is really pretty marketable in the kingdom? Do you think everyone should become a bit more like you?
Get real. Get humble. You will be a lot happier. Remember whose kingdom this is. “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
The kingdom is for the helpless. Infant baptism is a perfect picture of this helplessness. “Let the little children come to me,” isn’t a slam dunk text for putting Jesus’ name on babies, but infant baptism is a beautiful picture of this text. Nathan and Jacklyn presented an utterly helpless baby to the kingdom. Lydia can’t help herself. She can’t do anything for Jesus right now. Without adult help, she can do nothing. That’s a picture of us. “The kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Whether you know it or not, you are utterly dependent. Whether you know it or not, without Jesus you can just as much for God as Lydia.
Nathan and Jacklyn made vows, we as a church made vows, because we believe that we need Jesus. We believe that we are dependent on Jesus. We made vows to the effect that we would not hinder Lydia from meeting Jesus but rather we would invite her to meet Jesus. We made vows to the effect that we will never give her the impression that Jesus has no time for her. “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Children must not be low-status in this church. They are not potentially important people. They are important today because they are made in the image of God and because were adults are no less helpless than they. The children of this church are not the church of the future; they are part of the church of the present.
We parents must behave that way. We need to shepherd our children towards Jesus. We must treat them as Jesus told us to treat them; “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Read Jesus’ words with your children at home. That’s how you take them to Jesus. If your children are little, read a children’s Bible after meals. If your children are older, read the Bible and ask questions. ‘What do you think Jesus was saying in that parable?’ ‘Why do you think Paul said that to Felix?’ “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Teach them about Jesus. Teach them Jesus’ commands.
Make Jesus’ commands your commands. Why is ‘no hitting’ one of the rules in your house? Because it hurts other people? Even the pagans have those rules. ‘It’s not right to hit your brother because God tells you that is a sin. It’s a sin because you are using the body God gave you to hurt others. It’s a sin because you are hurting someone made in God’s image. I know you want to love God. The way you show it is by loving people like your brother. It’s a sin that you need to confess and ask for forgiveness. You need to say you are sorry and then we will pray for forgiveness.’ Make Jesus’ commands your house commands. If Jesus’ commands are not your house commands, can you say, “as for me and my house we will serve the Lord”?
To shepherd our children towards Jesus we must also work to be a church in which Jesus is glorified. My preaching must reveal Jesus as glorious and as absolutely necessary as he is. The elders must encourage what Jesus’ teaches and address where we are contrary to the teaching of Jesus. If children grow up learning that Jesus teaches reconciliation and we as a church are divisive, if children grow up learning that Jesus teaches repentance and sin isn’t addressed among us, if children grow up learning that Jesus teaches accountability and we don’t hold one another accountable, then we are teaching our children that Jesus’ teaching isn’t for living.
We must show our children how to live. They need to be trained. Parents that is your job. Train your children to pray. Train your children to confess. Train your children to forgive. Show them. They won’t know unless you train them.
Little children need to come to Jesus. They aren’t innocent babes who could never deserve God’s wrath. They are sinners who need Jesus. They need you to tell them about Jesus. That is why you are a father. That is why you are a mother. That is why God entrusted you with this precious child. Don’t miss the point of parenting.
You are to shepherd your child. Jesus wants children to come to him. Don’t hinder them. Lead them. Jesus also tells you that you can learn from them. That’s our second point: becoming like little children.
We relearn a lot from our children. We relearn the importance of play. We relearn the importance of routine. We remember that change is really hard. These are good lessons, but they aren’t what Jesus had in mind when he said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
What does Jesus mean? How must you become like a little child? Keep in mind this is a commandment. This isn’t an ideal that maybe one day hopefully happens to you. This is God telling you to do something. How do you become like a little child?
Well, remember whom Jesus was commanding. He was commanding his disciples to become like these little children. He was commanding his disciples who had just tried to keep these little children away to become like those same children. He was commanding his disciples to see themselves as they saw those children –helpless, dependent, very weak and needy. ‘Realize you are like these children. You are helpless, dependent, very weak and needy.’ That’s how you enter the kingdom.
Entering the kingdom is a lot like the limbo. ‘How low can you go?’ “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,” says James, “and He will lift you up.” If you are full of yourself, you will not enter the kingdom. If you can’t say with the John the Baptist, ‘Jesus must increase; I must decrease,’ you will not enter the kingdom. To enter the kingdom, you need to confess how needy you are. To be useful in the kingdom, you need to confess how superfluous to the kingdom you really are; you aren’t needed. Your entering is pure gift. That’s why it is called receiving; “anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
That’s life in the kingdom. Just look at the king. The king makes himself the least. Christ Jesus, “who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but instead made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant.” If you want to become great in the kingdom, start serving. If you think you’re something, it’s time to start making yourself nothing. That’s the way to fulfillment. The way up is down.
Again, infant baptism is a perfect picture of this truth. Talk about receiving the kingdom like a little, helpless, dependent child who can add nothing.
Calvin saw this. Thinking of Jesus inviting these little children, Calvin said, “Christ does not receive only those who voluntarily come to him of a holy desire and moved by faith, but also those who may not yet be old enough to realize how much they need his grace.”
These children in Mark 10 didn’t know how much they needed Jesus’ grace. Lydia doesn’t know how much she needs Jesus’ grace. Jesus is willing to receive such children anyway; “he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”
Do you see yourself as needy? Do you see yourself as dependent? Do you see yourself like those little children? That’s what Jesus calls you to recapture when you look at children.
Kenny Loggins recaptured a sense of innocence as he tucked in his son. That’s good. Jesus is calling you to recapture something far better when you tuck your daughter in. Recognize that you are as dependent as her. You are as powerless as her. You need your Father in heaven more than she needs you.
You need Jesus’ blessing too. “Jesus took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.” This verse is rightly loved by parents. It rightly makes its way into pretty much every children’s Bible, but often the focus is wrong. We usually imagine this verse to be about cute children and Jesus. We picture children doing adorable things –there’s a girl doing a cartwheel, there’s a boy who you can tell was just up to a bit of mischief, there’s kid with his puppy coming to show Jesus. We picture cute kids and Jesus who loves them.
That’s not the preciousness of verse 16. The children are certainly precious but that’s not the focus. Mark focused on Jesus. The glory of Jesus with these children was Mark’s focus, “he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”
Jesus, who only a chapter before in this gospel was revealed as God Himself, Jesus, whose day to day itinerary is more important than that of any president or CEO, Jesus, who deserves not only the reverence due a king but the worship due God alone, this Jesus, this God-man, took little children in his arms and he blessed them. Mark wants your eyes on Jesus and as a result, in your peripheral vision the children will seem very precious.
Keep your eyes on Jesus as you raise Lydia. Keep your eyes on Jesus as you raise your children. Keep your eyes on Jesus and remember who you are. You are as dependent as them. Even if you pay the bills, even if you are so grown up, you are a helpless babe before Christ. Without him you can do nothing. Own that and verse 16 is for you, “he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.” Keep your eyes on Jesus and as a side effect you will recognize how very precious your children, and you, are to Him..
Become who you are. Become like a little child. Confess that you are dependent. Confess that you are more helpless than you can imagine. Confess that you need to answer Jesus’ call and come to him for a blessing. Take your children with you. Do it today. Amen.