Entering the Kingdom
Notes
Transcript
Luke 18:15-17
Luke 18:15-17
INTRODUCTION
Good morning. Welcome to CHCC. As we continue to make our way through Luke’s gospel we find ourselves at a very short passage but one with eternal implications for everyone. And at the very center of the passage is perhaps the greatest masterpieces of God’s astounding creation. As we will read and then study this three verse passage, we will come to see Jesus’ outlook on children was far different than others from a cultural perspective as well as a spiritual perspective.
We’ve already seen—in the two parables prior to this section—that Jesus would often employ a teaching that would turn expectations on their head. This is especially so in the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee was seen in positive light in first century Jewish culture. They were the premier example of piety, holiness, and obedience. They were respected leaders in their community.
The tax collector was not. They were thieves—stealing from their own people to line their own pockets. They were seen as the worst of the worst—outcasts to their society; hated and scorned by their community. Often viewed lower than the blatant and repetitive sinner. And yet, in the parable, it was the tax collector who was justified before God in his prayer and not the Pharisee. This wasn’t because of their social standing, but rather, their hearts posture toward God that revealed the one who was poor in spirit and mourned his sin. The Pharisee was proud of heart and looked upon his own works rather than God’s grace as his salvation. The tax collector simply leaned fully on the grace of God to show mercy.
The passage this morning is another one that you very well may have heard on occasion. It is often portrayed in children’s bible books and storyboards. If you grew up in kids Sunday school with the felt boards, you likely saw this passage portrayed on their a time or two. If the passage before pointed to the poor in spirit receiving the kingdom of God. This passage also reveals who will receive His kingdom.
If you have your Bibles with you this morning, please turn with me to Luke 18, beginning in verse 15.
PRAY
Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and 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.”
What a beautiful little passage that reveals the tender heart of Christ. When I first came across this passage as a kid my immediate thought was, “These disciples seem like real pieces of work.”
But in most ancient cultures, children were looked down on in a sense. They were seen more or less as a burden until they were able to contribute to the family. And for those who have had children—while I don’t think we’d agree with looking down on them as ancient cultures did—will understand the sentiment that children take a lot of work. A lot of time, energy, resources, and effort go into raising children.
For the disciples, they saw the children as a hinderance to Jesus’ ministry. How will He have time for the people with actual needs if he keeps being interrupted by children coming to Him? That was the sentiment. But Jesus saw them entirely differently. He saw them through the lens of God. These were people created in the image of God. And this isn’t the first time we see children in Jesus’ ministry. Looking throughout, it is clear that Jesus had a deep tenderness for children.
Jesus speaks to the joy that comes from bringing a child into the world.
When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
He spoke to the love of a father who listens to the requests of his children, desiring to grant their need.
What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
He even pointed to children as spiritual examples earlier in Luke’s gospel.
and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
Not only does Jesus seem to speak with great affection towards children. He also performed miracles involving them.
In John 4 it tells of a royal officer approaching Jesus with the desperate cry to heal his dying son. Jesus simply tells him, “Go. Your son will live.”
Jesus, following the Mount of Transfiguration, comes down to find a crowd gathering and is approached by another father whose son has been possessed by a demon. Jesus casts it out.
Then one of my favorites in Luke 8. Jairus—a ruler in the synagogue approaches Jesus because his daughter is dying. And while they are conversing, a crowd appears and Jesus appears unable to make the journey immediately. While this happens, a servant of the house tells Jairus his daughter has died. But Jesus went to the house and tells them she is only sleeping. As He enters, He approaches the girl and says, “Talitha cumi,” which translates to “Little lamb, arise.” And she is immediately healed.
Throughout the Gospels it is apparent that Jesus has a deep seated love for all people—and children are no different. It is curious that the perspective of children was that of a burden in society when the Psalms speak so highly of their blessing and how people would rejoice at the birth of children.
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
While Jesus did not have children of His own, certainly His perspective of them lined up perfectly with the Psalm. They were and are a heritage from the Lord. They are gifts, blessings, and miracles created in the image of God.
As Jesus’ ministry grew, we see crowds gather in the thousands. People bring themselves or their sick relatives for healing. They seek wisdom and teaching. They ask questions. And now we see they are bringing their children to Him. Specifically, it says, “Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them.” In ancient Jewish culture a touch—especially by a rabbi—was considered an act of blessing. This dated all the way back to Genesis 48, where Jacob laid hands upon the heads of Manasseh and Ephraim.
So, in line with the traditional practice, Jesus would scoop these precious children up in His arms and bless them. What a beautiful image. Can you imagine seeing that and experiencing that first hand? But then this beautiful moment is interrupted by the disciples. The passage tells us they “rebuked” the crowd. The reason isn’t given, but as we looked at earlier, it may have likely been seen as unimportant to them or a waste of time and energy. But Jesus would use this moment to teach His disciples and the crowd a valuable lesson on faith and trust with perhaps one of His more often quoted teachings.
But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
Jesus utilizes this moment to teach about those who will enter the kingdom of God. And the placement of this passage in Luke’s account makes sense because it comes on the heels of the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. In that parable, the Tax Collector was justified (was able to enter the kingdom of God) because of the posture of his heart. The tax collector, unlike the Pharisee, did not lean on his own works. He wasn’t dependent on himself, but rather, leaned entirely on God’s mercy for His salvation. While humility in and of itself will not save us—it is a necessary aspect of one’s spiritual life. Humility leads us to the cross because it allows us to see ourselves for who we truly are and who God truly is. It allows one to admit their own sinfulness and seek out God’s forgiveness and mercy.
We see a similar theme in next week’s passage. This whole section is about “Kingdom Entrance.” Who are those who will receive the gift of the kingdom? As we will see, there is a rich ruler seeking eternal life. But he leaves discouraged by what Jesus tells him. Why? Because he trusted in his wealth and possessions more than the mercy and forgiveness of God.
We are beginning to see a common theme here. Our works—the Pharisees adherence to the Law—does not get one entrance into the kingdom. Material possession does not get one into the kingdom. There is only one way. We see it with the tax collector—who kept his eyes downward, beat his chest, and cried out to God, “Be merciful to me, a sinner!” This humility. This dependency. That is really the heart of the matter here this morning. We see again who receives kingdom entrance—those who are like children.
What does that mean exactly? Some are looking around thinking, “Not my children…” Now we have to understand that this isn’t a literal teaching. He isn’t saying, “If you are under the age of 18 and find yourself legally a child under the law you will be welcomed into the kingdom of God…”
Rather—and again—its a matter of posture and disposition of the heart.
AS A CHILD
What does that posture or disposition look like if we are to be “like a child?” R. Kent Hughes put it this way:
We enter the kingdom by being as a child and by receiving as a child.
What does “being” a child look like? My wife calls me a child sometimes. So I’m now taking that as the highest compliment. But in reality, what does “being a child” mean? If you have children, go back with me to those first few months. They are precious, right? One of my favorite past times when my children were infants was taking naps with them. Just laying on the couch, put them on my chest and we are both passed out. And as beautiful and as precious as those first few months are, you also quickly realize just how helpless infants are.
Every infant who has come into the world, enters it with helpless dependence. There is nothing they can do on their own to allow for their own survival. They are entirely dependent on those around them—most often their mother and father. The only thing they are capable of is crying—which alerts us to their needs.
And what is more, human infants are helplessly dependent for years. Other animals quickly learn their own survival. But for children it is a stage consisting of several years. No child is capable of its own survival for some time.
The late Eduard Schweizer wrote:
But this is the reason they are blessed—just because they [the little children] have nothing to show for themselves. They cannot count on any achievements of their own—their hands are empty like those of a beggar. Jesus enlarges the promise to include everyone. With an authority such as only God can claim, he promises the Kingdom to those whose faith resembles the empty hand of a beggar. Such faith is possible because they have no achievements of their own nor any conceptions of God which can intrude between them and God.
Every child born into the world is born into it entirely helpless and entirely dependent. Similarly, those who are born into the kingdom are entirely hopeless and entirely dependent spiritually. We enter into His kingdom helpless. From the apostles to the great reformers, to the remarkable teachers, preachers, theologians, to the littlest of Christians—we all enter it helpless and dependent upon God.
We don’t enter the kingdom based off of works (see: Pharisee). We don’t enter the kingdom based off material blessing (see: rich ruler next week). We enter it solely based off of dependence upon God’s mercy, forgiveness, and grace—which means we enter it completely helpless.
The hymn, Rock of Ages, presents this beautifully in its third stanza
Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.
That is how we BE like a child. Helpless; dependent. But how do we receive as a child? Because that is part of Jesus’ statement: Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a child shall not enter it. How does one receive the kingdom like a child?
In a sense, it is very similar to a helpless dependency; it is complete and absolute trust. All of my children minus Daniel have loved me throwing them high into the air or grabbing their hands and spinning them around. I’m sad to say only Isabel is still young enough for such adventure. But they loved it! They would beg me to do it and then do it again, and one more time and one more time and last time and okay, one more time.
But they always trusted me to protect them. They trusted me to catch them when I threw them up in the air. And I am proud to say I never dropped one! But looking back on that, it’s a little crazy. I know I’m not the only parent to do such things, but it is a little nuts. But they trusted me—their father—to not let them fall. They trusted me to protect them and keep them safe.
But children tend to give entirely of their trust. It may, at times, be misplaced, but it is always sincere. Children trust others for every need. They trust those in their care that they will be fed. They trust they will be safe. Likewise, those like a child, will trust God wholly for everything. They will trust His Word and His promises entirely.
They are quite the opposite of the skeptic. They haven’t been scared by life’s battles. There is a beautiful innocence to their trust. What my mother says it what my mother will do. My mother will protect me. She will keep me safe. She will feed me. There is faith in the caregiver.
Maturity of faith is found in childlike trust—trust that sees ourselves as small and God as mighty.
John D. Barry; Rebecca Kruyswijk
Those who receive the kingdom like a child have complete trust and faith in God. Belief PLUS trust. There is a trust in Jesus for everything—including salvation and eternal life.
A child also receives another way, which we have discussed already. They receive in humility. They haven’t grown up in such a way as to lean on their works yet. So they don’t come before God like the Pharisee—I thank you that I’m not like other men…
There is no self-righteousness in the heart of a child. “God, look at my faithfulness. My parents have taken me to church for every week of my 12 month existence. I’ve played faithfully in the nursery every Sunday. I save my dirty diapers for home…”
Self-righteousness is a laughable suggestion for a child. They don’t even understand what that means or looks like. Taking it a step further, a child cannot lean on their wisdom or knowledge because they have just begun their learning journey. What is more, children are like sponges. They are teachable! When does that change? Some will always be teachable. But there comes a point where pride can slip in, right? There is a scene in Parks and Rec that reminds me of this. There’s a character by the name Ron Swanson. And he’s like a man’s man, right. He loves to fish and hunt. He’s great at woodworking. He loves smoked meats. There’s one scene where he’s shopping at a Lowe’s hardware and an employee comes up to him and asks, “Can I help you with anything?” And Ron replies, “I know more than you,” and just keeps on walking.
Not so with little children! They have yet to gathered up the pride of adulthood. There also seems to be a ready willingness to admit sins. That one changes pretty quickly though! When we come to Christ with humility, we receive His kingdom.
A child also tends to receive love well. They accept it without questioning if its deserved or not. And children also tend to give of their hearts much more willingly, too. One thing I started doing with Isabel a while ago is whispering to her, “I love you.” I whisper, “Hey, guess what?” And she whispers back, “What?” And I say, “I love you.” And she says, “I love you, too.” But what really pulled at my heart is one day we were in her room playing, and she looks up and me and says, “Hey, guess what?” And I said, “What?” She said, “I love you.”
And it reminds me of the spiritual sense of this in 1 John.
We love because he first loved us.
This whole passage, while only three verses long, gives us so much to consider this morning. And I think it is imperative we take a Sunday to digest it because the lesson has eternal implications. In a sense, Jesus said, “You want the kingdom of God? Then come like a child.”
And what a great time for some introspection for all of us. What about me? How is my heart? Does it measure up (or down in this sense)? Have I become self-sufficient in my heart? Am I prideful? Am I skeptical? Jesus isn’t speaking about immaturity here. He is speaking from a childlike ability to love and to trust and to become fully dependent upon Him. It is to recognize within ourselves our utter helplessness to save ourselves.
The point is that no one can enter the kingdom on their own merit; all must enter with childlike faith and in complete dependence on God.
Mark L. Strauss
What is more, a child is moldable, teachable. Does that define us?
Let there be the deep confession of our inability to bring God the worship that is pleasing to Him; the childlike teachableness that waits on Him to instruct us; the simple faith that yields itself to the breathing of the Spirit.
Andrew Murray
To be a child again. There is so much in that simple statement. Perhaps we think, “To be a child again”…and not have to worry about finances. “To be a child again”…and have no responsibilities but to play and have fun! “To be a child again”…and wake up with an overflowing abundance of energy! “To be a child again”…and find enjoyment and wonder in the little things.
Or in the spiritual sense—”To be a child again”…and trust and love and depend fully on the Lord for everything. To walk in surety of His goodness and faithfulness and forgiveness. To simply trust that what He promises He will do.
I want to close with one final quote—a paraphrase, but a quote nonetheless. From Charles Spurgeon. He said, “We must not think a child cannot come to God until he is like a man, but a man cannot come until he is like a child. We must grow down until we become like a child.”
May we all be like children as we come before the Lord.
PRAY
