I love the curiosity, adventuresomeness, innocence, logic, and directness of children. What they say or do is frequently shockingly funny and lacking in good judgment. There is no guarantee that good advice will be fully understood or consistently followed. Of course, they are good at testing limits.
Scripture takes a high view of children and calls them “a heritage of the Lord.” In Jesus’ time and place, children were not necessarily valued. Whether they were loved or exploited depended upon their father’s wishes. Unfortunately, human nature has not changed. Sorrowfully, some children still find themselves neglected and abused.
Once Jesus’ over protective disciples were preventing parents from bringing children to him so he could touch and bless them. When he realized that, Jesus admonished them to, “Forbid them not for such is the Kingdom of heaven.” Jesus loved children, and children knew it. He visibly valued them, held them, healed many, and elevated their status in society. His interaction with his well intentioned but sometimes skeptical and proud followers raises several important points which became increasingly obvious when on another occasion, the disciples were arguing about who would be greatest in the Kingdom of heaven:
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”(Matthew 18)
Christ’s proud disciples arrogantly assumed they had special kingdom status because of who they were. They must have been startled when Jesus said that their pride was a roadblock to their conversion which comes through childlike humility of trust and dependence, not status or works. The realization that one is powerlessness to save one’s self and the admission that one is helpless and totally dependent on God’s mercy and grace to become part of God’s Kingdom is an abrupt wake-up call, a call for faith alone.
Jesus also spoke directly and forcefully about the seriousness of offending children. Keeping children from Jesus and his values and blessings has severe consequences. His advice holds true today. Parents, grandparents, families, caretakers, and educators should take that admonition to heart. In a day in when children are unchurched and robbed of childhood innocence by broken homes, parental addictions, exposure to illogical and delusional thinking fostered by federal rules and special interests groups, the consequences are both contemporary and eternal.
However, the overarching good news of these scriptures is that whoever, young or old, depends on Christ will become citizens of God’s Kingdom.
