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Mark 10:13-16
Oh To Be Like Children!

Children are so easily led! When they're little they trust their parents in everything; they go where they're led; they want to know what their parents want them to do, and they believe what their parents want them to believe.

This should teach us at least two things.  First and foremost, we should teach our children while they are still young about their Savior and Lord. Secondly, we should learn to be like them in some important ways. We ourselves should be led by Jesus more easily than we are. Actually, that's the way it is with us when His Spirit begins to do His saving work in our hearts. At the beginning He moves us to come easily, quickly, and with hearts open  to being taught by Him.

These lessons about childlikeness are the main point of the verses before us today. Let's see if we can see in them what our Lord expects of us.

One of our problems is that we often read into Scripture what we want to find there! And there's no Scripture more likely to be subjected to that kind of treatment than this one! Parents want their children to be in Christ's kingdom, so they conclude from these verses that since Jesus loves little children, why then they'll all be included. They think Jesus is so emotionally moved by little children that He'll save every one of them. But such a conclusion certainly isn't supported by any careful consideration of our Lord's words here.

There are at least two important and very legitimate conclusions that we can come to as we read His words. First of all, it's at least evident that He desires to bless people's children when they bring them to Him. Secondly, it should be clear from these verses that all those who enter the kingdom of God must do so in a way that's somehow similar to the way these children were being brought to Jesus.

To say that not all children are automatically members of the kingdom is not to say that Jesus doesn't care about children. Jesus always cares. He cares much more and in a much better way than we do. He cares a great deal about parents, about their children, and about the way they and we go about entering His kingdom. In fact, He cares enough to become emotional about it.

Mark tells us that Jesus was "vexed" by the behavior of His disciples on this occasion. They were rebuking those who brought their little children to Jesus, and Jesus wasn't happy about it! We need to see why He was "vexed," why He became emotional about what they were doing. After all, weren't the disciples merely trying to protect their Master's time, trying to keep these people and their petty concerns about their children from interrupting their Master's more important work?

The obvious answer is that Jesus didn't think of these parent's concerns as petty at all. Nor did He think His disciple's response was appropriate. His words to them makes it very clear that bringing little children to Him was very important - to the little children, to their parents, and to the disciples as well. He wanted to bless them, and He wanted to use their example to instruct the disciples as well.

The question for us, of course, is just exactly what it was of which His "blessing" consisted. Our general knowledge of Jesus' character helps us to come to some conclusions. First of all, we know that our Lord is absolutely sincere and that He is perfectly and lovingly purposeful in all that He does -He doesn't do anything without good reason. We also know that He perfectly carries out all His purposes - the results of what He does are exactly what He intends them to be. We should conclude, therefore, that His blessing of the children was absolutely sincere - it wasn't a mere ceremony - and it certainly had to accomplish His purpose. Our problem is that our interpretation of His purpose is usually too "religious."

If "religion" is understood to be man's attempt to win the favor of God by means of his own devices, and if it is admitted that all of us are guilty of that attempt to one degree or another, then we can see what direction our interpretation of Jesus' words could easily take. We're so much a part of the here and now that we naturally read our Lord's actions as though they were in a present-day church context. But our Lord never based His actions on our books of ritual! In fact it would be wonderful for us to base our beliefs and actions on those of our Lord instead of assuming that He bases His on ours!

What I'm saying is that He wasn't performing a ritual of infant baptism! Instead, He intended to do what the patriarch Jacob had done so many centuries before when he laid his hands upon his twelve sons and pronounced a "benediction" upon each of them. Jacob had no more power or authority than we do to guarantee the future for any of his sons. But He did have the right - and in fact the obligation - to pray for them. Jesus too, as the perfect Man, was praying for the children and bringing them for His Father's blessing. It's what we all should do for our children. He rejoiced to do it, and He rejoiced to join with these loving parents in their concern.

The future spiritual condition of the children was not guaranteed by Jesus' action. These children, like children everywhere, were partakers in Adam's sin, and their little hearts were naturally in rebellion against God, just as ours are. Nevertheless, I suspect that, if we could follow out the history of each of these little lives, we would find that God answered His Son's prayer by bringing wonderful spiritual opportunities into the lives of each one, times of hearing the Word and of exhortation to godly response, times of ministry and loving example by His servants.

We too can bring our children to our Lord for His blessing. In fact, we should bring them often. And He will respond just as He did on this occasion. The result is certain: God will minister to our children by His Spirit through His people and by His Word. The children may or may not eventually and gladly submit to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. But they'll be "blessed" by His ministry to them whether they respond positively or not.

The second aspect of our Lord's teaching had to do with how we enter the kingdom of God. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God (is entered) in just such a way." He was not saying that these little children were entering the kingdom, but He was saying that the way they were brought is somehow similar to the way all of us must come to the kingdom. It's a matter of attitude.

The little children were all unaware and completely trusting in their parents. They didn't know what their parents were doing, but they could feel their parents love. So it often is for us. We are often entirely unaware that our Christian friends are praying for us. But then, when the Holy Spirit does His gracious work in our hearts, we come with humility into His presence, just as these children did. Everything is new. We believe what we are told, and there's no resistance. Up to that time in our lives, we've probably resisted mightily, but, when it's God's perfect timing, the Holy Spirit moves us to a new humility of heart, and we come to Him believingly, just as these children did.

There's no other way to enter the kingdom. It's a matter of humble trust, of believing in His love, of knowing He cares and gladly receives us. We don't demand entrance. We don't bargain with Him. We don't repeat some set of words like a magical formula. We just know Him, believe Him, and surrender to Him.

Every true Christian must know Him that way. As Jesus Himself said, "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (Jn. 17:3) You need to KNOW God, and you can only know Him adequately through Christ.  As paul said, "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4:6) When you've been thoroughly impressed with HIS glory, then and only then are you ready to simply trust His love in child-like fashion. Without that kind of acquaintance, you can't enter the kingdom, but with it you're ready for the Lord to bless you - greatly.

And we need to keep on coming to Him that way. We need to keep on coming to Him like little children. And we need to bring our children to Him as well. Let's be encouraged by His gracious attitude on this occasion with His disciples. He was vexed with them, but then He taught them. He loves us, He loves our children, and He rejoices to have us bring them to Him. He also loves us as we ourselves come to Him, and He wants us to simply trust Him and receive His love.

What a good article, Al.  Thanks for sharing this.

The Lord bless you as you prepare these little studies from week to week.

Pastor Al.

This "little child" says thank-you!

God Bless bro.

Jenny.

May He bless you as well, dear Jenny!  Thank you for coming in with your comment.

Yes, I guess there are many times that Jesus is vexed with me!
But I am willing to learn, and He is patient and kind, and always willing to teach me too.
Thanks Al .

Amen dear brother, and thank your for your encouragement - as always.