TEXT: Mark 10:13-16

SUBJECT: Meeting the Lord #10: Little Children

The story takes place somewhere in Judea, near the Jordan River north of Jericho. Our Lord has come there to complete His public ministry and to die His appointed death. He's resting in a friend's house, it seems, with the disciples standing guard at the door.

It's not long before some visitors arrive. And wouldn't you know it--they brought the kids! The disciples know our Lord is too tired or busy to fool with these children, and so they're sent away with angry words.

When our Lord hears them, He gets mad too. But He's not mad at the kids or the parents. He's mad at the disciples. "Let the little children come to Me--He retorts--and do not forbid them". The parents have not intruded; the little ones are welcome. The busiest Man has time for children. In the shadow of the cross, Our Lord picks up the little ones and pronounces a blessing on them.

That's the story. One of the most touching in all the Bible. A stinging rebuke, it is, to people who think "kids don't matter to God". And a warm comfort to those who know better.

"Jesus loves the little children,

All the children of the world;

Red and yellow, black and white,

They are precious in His sight".

What does the story mean? It tells us something about our Lord, doesn't it? It tells us that He identifies, not with the rich and powerful, but with the "nobodies" of the world. Had an prominent man come for an audience with the Lord, the disciples would have ushered him in with the ceremony befitting his place in life. But kids? They don't matter! "Stand thou there! Sit here under my footstool".

But our Lord is not like this! The Song of Mary celebrates the character of her Divine Son.

"He has scattered the proud,

He has put down the mighty

And exalted the lowly;

He has filled the hungry,

And sent the rich away empty".

What she prophesied, He fulfilled. To overflowing.

This is a sacred reflection and worth pondering. But it's not quite the meaning of our story. What is it? V.14b spells it out: "Let the little children come to Me and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.

God does not exclude children from His kingdom. In fact, no one gets in unless he becomes a child. In what way? Preachers usually say "innocent" or "humble". Do these men have kids? Children are not innocent; they're often proud, stubborn, and selfish. That's not what our Lord means.

He explains Himself in v.15: "Assuredly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it".

The trait He's looking for is simplicity or naivete'. Let me illustrate: If you were walking home and a stranger drove up in a van and offered you a ride, would you take it? If he gave you some candy, would you eat it? Most adults would not. They wonder what the catch is. They're suspicious. "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".

Children are not this way. That's why we teach them to not get in cars with people they don't know or to take candy from strangers. Children are naive. In some ways, this is bad and dangerous.

But not when it comes to Christ. To the jaded mind, the Gospel is too good to be true. But to the simple mind, the offer so freely made is freely taken. "You mean I get eternal life through faith in Christ?" Yes. "Okay!" That's the childlike quality our Lord wants in little ones, in old ones, and in everyone in-between.

And so, the theme of our story is this: Jesus Christ welcomes children of all ages.

The Application

To some, this is good news! It means you needn't know very much to be saved. What did the children know about Christ? All the mysteries of His Divine and human person? No they didn't. But they knew He loved them was glad to have them. At the moment, that's all you need to know: That Christ loves sinners and turns no one away who comes to Him in faith. Charlotte Elliot had this childlike spirit when she wrote the immortal words

"Just as I am without one plea

But that Thy blood was shed for me;

And that Thou bidds't me come to Thee

O Lamb of God I come. I come".

Whether she had great knowledge or not, I don't know. But she knew Christ died for her and told her to come. That was enough for her. It will be enough for you.

Read, study, think and discuss the deeper things of God? Of course! But after you come to Christ. Come to Him now "Just as you are"--ignorant, confused, full of questions. You know enough to come in faith. So come. Now. The Gospel is for children of all ages!

To others, the story is rather unpleasant. For the believers depicted in it are not very attractive. The thing I dislike most about them is they're so much like we are! They're indifferent and hard and discouraging. Rather than welcoming the little ones to Christ, they're worried about what effect they will have on the church. Shame on them! And shame on us, too! The disciples of Christ ought to be more like their Master--open, generous, and loving. If He doesn't "Break the bruised reed or quench the smoking flax", neither should we.

To parents, the story informs us how to evangelize our children. Note its centerpiece. The Gospel is not about doing good works or going to church or reading the Bible or praying at bedtime. The Gospel is not about election or irresistible grace. The Gospel is about a Person, Jesus Christ. It is about a Person who loves sinners, who died for them, and who offers eternal life to everyone who believes.

Do your children know this? Or have you tied them in knots with the demands of the Law or the intricacies of Reformed theology? Cut the knot! Tell them what Christ has done for them--in one sentence! Tell them what they must do--in one sentence. Tell them what the result must be--in one sentence.

Jesus Christ is accessible to children. Don't make Him hard to reach for your own kids.

Close

How wonderful our Savior is! How condescending His love. "I am poor and needy--wrote the Psalmist--yet the LORD thinks on me". People for whom others did not have time, He found the time. People who were "nothing" in the world were "something" to Him. To Jesus Christ, there were "No Little People".

His status has changed, of course; He's no longer with us as He was with the children that day. But His character has not changed; His heart has not grown hard. He is now at God's right hand--exalted above all things. Yet He is "This same Jesus". "The LORD looks down from the height of His sanctuary--the Psalm has it--"From the heaven He views the earth..." What for? For the king, of course, or the learned man, or the super-saint. But, no, it is "To hear the groaning of the prisoner and to loose those appointed to death".

The Man who received children so long ago, will now receive you. Man, woman, child, baby even. It makes no difference to Him--everyone is welcome. Including the sinner. The hypocrite. The backslider. And you. Come to Him in faith. He will "Let you come..." and won't even think of "Hindering you". So why not come? What's holding you back? Not Christ. Come on.

"This Man receives sinners".

God bless His word to our souls. For Christ's sake. Amen.