Mark 10:2-16
In vv.13-16, the second part of today’s gospel, Mark completes Jesus’ teaching on children and in the last two week’s gospel readings, Jesus has spoken very stern words to the disciples about their arrogance, and spiritual pride, and what welcoming someone truly means.
Yet here in v.13 of today’s passage, which immediately follows last week’s, they are doing exactly what Jesus told them not to; creating a stumbling block for little children being brought to God.
What part of millstone, neck, and being thrown into the sea didn’t they understand!
We are joining Jesus and the disciples at a real crunch point in the Gospel narrative. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, knowing he faces crucifixion, but he hasn’t finished teaching his disciples serious and fundamental truths about the Kingdom of God that they repeatedly don’t seem to get.
Now, this story is a well-known one and I always remember v.14 in the KJV, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” It is a beautiful image of Jesus, isn’t it?
But something remarkable is happening here I think, so let’s have a look at it in a bit more detail to see what we can learn from Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of God.
We read in verse 13 that, “People were bringing children to him…” There are couple of words in this teaching that seem innocuous in 21st Century English, but are filled with a much deeper meaning in the language used to record things in the time of Jesus.
The first of these innocent sounding words is “Bringing”, but here it doesn’t mean to convey something or someone from one place to another. The word used here is uniquely used in Scripture to only mean “to bring a sacrifice to God” as a way of dedicating oneself or that sacrifice to God, in this case, children.
That is the only use of this word in Scripture.
So this was an intensely spiritual activity that was going on here. It was parents bringing their children to Jesus so that they could be blessed and dedicated to a life of discipleship.
This is why we baptise infants. To baptise them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and dedicate them to the Lord by ‘marking’ or ‘branding’ them with the sign of the cross that are God’s own forever.
(By the way, I couldn’t think of a bigger stumbling block than to turn away these families because they don’t come to church each week.)
As we saw last week, we are all infants of God. All of us are wanting to be blessed by God and dedicated to him so that we grow to be strong disciples. It is our spiritual responsibility to nurture our children and each other in the Christian faith.
Encourage each other to see church as a true family activity. All the things that, on our best days, we do as good Mothers and Fathers.
But here we have Jesus closest companions openly rebuking the parents in a way that would have been as public and embarrassing 2,000 years ago as it is today.
In v.14 we read that Jesus was indignant. That’s a pretty strong word! Jesus was angry with them because their actions, their deeds, are the opposite of the Kingdom of God.
And we must be absolutely sure that when we fail to encourage any child of God, whatever age, if we spurn them, then Jesus is indignant with us too because our actions as a church truly need to represent the Kingdom of God.
Jesus then, to express the importance of discipling children and infants in Christ, Jesus gives two quick commands in verse 14: “Let the children come to me” and “Do not stop them”.
But there is a flip side to this coin too.
Now in our context, I am talking about the little lambs of God, as opposed to the more mature sheep of our flock. Those who are perhaps not as mature in their faith as others. Maturity of faith is not evidenced, ever, in arrogance and criticism, but always with an ever-increasing humility.
Jesus is teaching us here not just what we can give to our spiritual toddlers, but also what we can receive from them too. In the upside-down world of the Kingdom, mature Christians can learn much from baby Christians.
I find listening to the prayers of both little children and those very new to the faith to be strikingly powerful. ‘Dear God, make Mummy better, Amen.’ ‘God, help me be a better Dad, Amen.’
I can rabbit on to the Lord for a long time and still not pray as effectively as that! It shows total faith, no second-guessing of God, a radiant and beautiful sort of innocence. I have much to learn, and much to forgot that I learnt which was wrong!
This is a profound spiritual truth.
Jesus is absolutely clear on this in verse 15, where he says this: “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it”.
And this is another of those words I mentioned that has a different meaning than we are used to. To “receive”. When we have the faith of a little child we are receiving the Kingdom of God.
Receive here doesn’t just mean to get. We don’t attain the Kingdom by being morally better than anyone else. In fact we can’t attain it at all. It is a pure gift of grace that we can only receive.
The kingdom of God is "received", not even in obedience, but rather in the same way that Jesus was received by the young children who came to him. Just as it says in v.13, to come to Jesus, who is the Kingdom of God, just to be touched by him. Just to be near him.
Knowing that we are very imperfect, but also like the little children, knowing it will be alright if Jesus just touches us; if we could just be near him and look into his face. To look into his eyes. Like children, knowing that if we just do that, everything will be alright.
That is not at all childish, but it is certainly childlike. This is how we receive the Kingdom of God. So briefly, what does a childlike faith look like?
Well, its helpless and dependent and the opposite of heroic.
At the heart of our Christian faith is the realization that we are utterly helpless before God. We do not have the strength of character to always do what is right. We do not have the spiritual strength to always live disciplined and holy lives.
We often don’t have the emotional maturity to always respond in love and with compassion. Just as a baby is utterly helpless. It is in acknowledging this that the burden of trying to impress God falls away.
If we are helpless, then we must be dependent on God. The Lord is our provider, and we are dependent on his provision, in this life and in the next. Children are utterly dependent on their parents.
No-one can receive the Kingdom of God through an attitude of independence. Nowhere at all does the bible say, “God helps those who help themselves.” God helps those who can’t help themselves.
With that mindset, we know who we are, because our identity is wrapped up in Christ Jesus and our whole sense of well-being is founded on that relationship.
And once we move into that state of being, the action of Jesus towards the children in this passage becomes our own experience, “And Jesus took them in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.” Picture Jesus doing that to you.
Let me pray. Dear God, make our faith like that of a little child, so we may receive you. Amen.