Jesus Loves the Little Children

This may sound like a strange question to ask after singing that song but, have you ever been mad? Now, that is a silly question, right? Because all of us have been mad. In fact, a lot of us could say we have been mad, just within the last 24 hours. But what things make us mad? What are those things that just grind your gears?

· Is it someone cutting you off in traffic or someone driving too slow.

· Is it poor service at a restaurant?

· Is it because of disagreements with people.

· Is it because your kids didn’t listen to you when you told them to do something or not to do something.

· Is it…

All of us get mad or angry at different times in our lives. For all of us there are specific things that seem to get us fired up more than other things.

But what about Jesus. Does he ever get mad or fired up about anything?

If I was to take a pole this morning and ask everyone to give one example where we see Jesus getting mad in scripture. I would imagine at the top of the list would be the event that is recorded for us in Matthew chapter 21.

To set the stage for what is taking place here. Jesus has just entered Jerusalem for the last time before his death on the cross.

During the final week of Jesus life he sent his disciples to fetch a colt so that he could ride into Jerusalem in order to fulfill prophecy and as you read the account of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem you see the palm branches and people’s cloaks lined the streets and people began to shout Hosanna. Hosanna to the Highest.

Obviously, the people had a different understanding about what was about to take place in the life of Jesus. But Jesus obviously knew what was before him.

With all the different things on Jesus’ mind he makes his way to the temple, and it is here where many people’s minds go to when we think about Jesus getting mad.

Let’s start reading in Matthew 21:12 and see why it is that Jesus got mad.

Matthew 21:12–13 ESV

And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

Even if you are not familiar with scripture you have probably heard about this reference where Jesus goes into the temple and turns over tables and starts slinging a whip in order to run everyone who was not supposed to be in the temple out.

Now I have to be honest with you as many times as I have read this event in scripture, this is all I have focused on. It’s all I remember about this event. The time when Jesus got mad and overturned tables.

You see the event of Jesus in the temple is not even close to being over yet. Let’s keep reading and see what else Jesus does while in the temple.

Matthew 21:14–17 (ESV)

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, “ ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.

So what is the rest of the story? Jesus has just road into town on a donkey he has ran out all the people who should not have been in the temple. Then Jesus goes on his way with his disciples in tow.

No that’s not it. Once Jesus ran out the people who didn’t want anything to do with him, once he ran out the people who should not have been in the temple. The people who needed him most began to come to him.

You see there was a lot of people who where turning the temple into a den of robbers and keeping out the very people who needed access to the temple the most.

You see once Jesus ran everyone who was keeping certain people from having access to the temple the very people who needed that access immediately began coming to the temple to receive help from Jesus.

It says the blind and the lame came and he healed them. But then there is also one other group of people mentioned that came because they were in need of Jesus.

The text says that the children who were in need came to Jesus and cried out Hosanna to the son of David.

Let me ask you what does this word Hosanna mean. Why were these children crying out Hosanna.

The word Hosanna means Please, Lord save us! or Lord, deliver us!

Because I have often over looked this part of the story when Jesus cleanses the temple I haven't thought much about these people whom Jesus helped.

But I wonder now who were these children who were saying Lord save us?

Maybe it was the children of the blind and the lame or the children who were on the streets. We don’t know exactly who these children were or there circumstances but I can tell you who these children were not.

They were not the children of the Pharisees or the children of the people whom Jesus ran off.

Regardless of who they were or their circumstances it should break our heart that any child ever has to say the words please save us.

But not only should that break our hearts but it should break our heart that anyone would actually get mad or deny a child help.

In verse 15 it says that when the Chief Priest saw not just the things but the Wonderful things that Jesus was doing and when they heard what the children were saying they got indignant.

Well, what does that mean? It means that you are so angry that your nose is flared. Literally it means that your nose is on fire.

These religious leaders weren't just upset because these children were receiving help from Jesus they were furious, they were so mad that it was like their nose was on fire.

Other than this occasion when Jesus cleaned the temple can you think of any other times when Jesus was this angry? To my knowledge the only time when the text says that Jesus was so mad that his nose was flared or on fire is found in Mark 10:13-16

Mark 10:13–16 ESV

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

The only time when the scriptures says that Jesus was so angry that his nose burned was when his disciples were keeping children from Jesus.

You see I don’t know about you but often times when I have read this I have pictured Jesus calmly saying come on guys, its OK if these little children want to come see me, let them come.

But no, the text says that that Jesus was angry and he told the disciples do not keep these children who need help from me.

So what make Jesus angry. Well, one thing for sure is the mistreatment of children.

There are so many things that we can learn from these to encounters that Jesus had with children.

But the one thing that I don’t want us to miss is that it is evident that Jesus had open eyes, open ears and most importantly open hearts when it came to children.

He had open eyes becasue he saw the needs of children. He had open ears becasue he heard when they cried out for help. He heard and most importantly didn’t ignore when they cried out Hosanna or God save us!

But most importantly He had an open heart becasue he had compassion for these kids so much so that when people tried to keep them from him he got mad. But he also had an open heart because He was willing to do something about it. He was willing to meet the needs of the children who needed help.

So what does Jesus response to these children have to do with us today? If you have chosen to be a follower of Jesus than Jesus response to children must be your response.

As a follower of Jesus sometimes I have to remind myself what I signed up for. When I chose to follow Jesus I didn’t just sign up to have my name put on a list of people who believe in Jesus so that I could reap the benefits.

But rather I signed up to be a disciple of Jesus. You see a disciple isn't just someone who goes around proclaiming to believe in Jesus and what he stands for but rather a disciple of Jesus must be an apprentice of him.

In John Mark Comer’s book practicing the way he points out that there are three main goals of anyone who is an apprentice of someone else.

Number one you must be with the one that you are apprenticing under. meaning you must spend time learning from them.

This is why the 12 apprentices of Jesus in the Bible left their jobs so that they could spend every waking moment with Jesus.

Number two the purpose of being with your teacher was so that you would become like your teacher.

Number three a true apprentice does what their teacher does.

Comer says that the whole purpose of apprenticeship is to train under your teacher so that you can become like them.

As Comer points out being a disciple or apprentice of Jesus means that we must organize our entire life around these three driving goals. One, be with Jesus. Two, become like Jesus. And three do as He did.

I wanted to remind us all about the importance of what it truly means to be a disciple of Jesus this morning becasue if we truly are disciples of Jesus than we must have the same response to children that Jesus did.

That is why we have begun a ministry that we introduced a few weeks ago called Open Hearts Open Homes. We must be people who have open hearts who are willing to help children who are crying out for help.

Just in our community their are many children who are crying out for help in different ways. One of the reasons why they cry out is becasue they need a safe place to lay their head at night.

In Comanche County there are at any given time over 300 children who are in need of some type of permanent care.

Because we cannot help them all not only do we want to have open hearts to help those that we can but we want to have open hearts to help others who are currently helping them.

That is why our mission is to open our hearts to foster families by supporting them with resources to provide and maintain an open home for children in our community.

Statistics have shown that approximately 50% of homes that open their hearts to foster children close their home within the first year. And the number one reason they gave for closing was because of the lack of support that they recieved.

We want to open our hearts and support them and build relationships with them so that they know that this body of disciples love’s them and invites them to be a part of the body of disciples that meet here.

Essentially how we plan to open our hearts to these children is to wrap them and their caregivers in love by proving them with

Words of Encouragement

Respite Care

Acts of Service

Prayer

If you are interested in opening up your hearts to these children and their families just like Jesus would do come and talk to Jessica or myself and learn how you can be involved in this ministry.

This coming Friday from 5:00 - 9:00 pm you will have an opportunity to respond like Jesus by coming and loving on these children.

We will be providing respite care through the form of a Parent’s night out. Next, Sunday we will not have an activity after our meal becasue this will be the activity that we have scheduled for the week.

This morning I hope that you have been reminded of the love that Jesus has for children. I hope that you have been reminded that in order to be a true disciple of Jesus that we must love and respond to children the same way that Jesus did. Jesus loves the little children and so must we.