DON’T STOP THE KIDS
Luke 18:15-17 NKJV
15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”
No, this is not a confirmation or rebuke of gentle parenting. This is a reminder that children are important to God and that we can learn about the Kingdom of God from them.
My oldest son Matt leads a ministry that goes into third-world countries and builds playgrounds for kids who have never seen one. Matt, Kelly, his wife, and their teams of volunteers go into some rough places and put up multiple playgrounds in just a few days. As they have interacted with the locals, they have been surprised by how kids are treated. Often pushed to the side, it seems many countries missed this lesson from Jesus.
Jesus got on to His disciples for rebuking the parents who had brought their small children to the Lord for Him to touch them. But Jesus challenged the narrative of that day by welcoming the children. Jesus was a light in a dark world. How He treated women, children, and the marginalized of society was a clear indication that God’s value system is different from man’s. So Jesus did not stop the kids from coming to Him. And He used this occurrence as a good teaching moment.
The children were a picture of what the kingdom of God is like. Jesus said we must receive the kingdom as a child if we want to enter in. Small children come to their parents with a pure, unquestioning trust. And small kids have not learned to position themselves in such a way that they depend on their own merits for acceptance. The small ones take it all in on a simple faith that their parents will be good to them, care for them, and provide for them. Small kids are a great picture of faith. And faith is how we engage and enter the Kingdom of God.
APPLICATION
Learning from children is not something we do naturally and yet Jesus used kids to paint a picture of God’s Kingdom. Maybe it’s because we don’t like to think of ourselves as little children. But to our Heavenly Father that is exactly what we are. We should be growing and maturing, but compared to God, we are infants. Don’t let that bother you; it’s a good perspective for us to remain dependent on our Father. And it’s a good perspective that we can trust Him to be good to us, care for us, and provide for us. And that we are loved even more by our Heavenly Father than parents love their little ones.
For those of you who are part of The Ark Church, this is one of the reasons we invest so heavily in our children. Not only do we want to provide an excellent environment, but we want to plant good seeds of a good God in their little hearts. We want the children to come to Jesus.
PRAYER
Dear Father, show me what it means to receive Your kingdom as a little child. I acknowledge I have so much to learn. And I acknowledge my dependence on You.