Childlike Faith ()

Mark 10:13–16 KJV 1900

13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. 16 And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.

Intro:

As always people are coming to Jesus. We have seen people bringing their sick friends and loved ones to Jesus. Here we see parents bringing their children to Jesus, not because of sickness, but to pray and bless them.

The disciples will try to stop them, but Jesus takes this opportunity to teach a lesson though the children that been bought to Him.

Children can teach a lot.

This story is in Matthew and Luke also.

I. The Disciples and the Children. VS 13

Mark 10:13 KJV 1900

13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.

Primary: Narrative: Story

Secondary: Behavioral: Hortatory

Blessing Cultural Concept

Ceremony during infancy and childhood Cultural Concept

Rebuke Cultural Concept

Intertext

Target: The Gospel of Thomas 22

Corpus: New Testament Apocrypha

Relationship: Allusion

Jesus on His way to the passover where He would die for the sins of the world. We see back in Jesus was heading to Jerusalem, but was didn’t want anyone to know it. (He was spending time teaching His disciples.)

Intertext

Target: NHC I 3, 19:27–30

Corpus: Nag Hammadi Codices

Relationship: Allusion

Jesus’ ministry Event

a. But, the devil loves to disrupt things. He loves to get us off course. He will use people to do this. Here He uses the Pharisees again. They question Jesus on divorce. This must have seen important to the disciples. It was, but the ones who wanted to comes to Jesus to be bless was more important

Jesus’ Judean and Perean ministry Event

Life of Jesus Event

And they brought young children to him: Mark says touch, Matthews add to pray.

Jesus’ tomb is found empty Event

b. The brought: This is saying they kept bringing children to Jesus. (All ages, infants, young children) they were bringing. It would great if more parents would bring their children to Jesus.

Jesus blesses children Event

c. As these parents are bringing their children to Jesus, His disciples are rebuking them. Rebuke: Express strong disapproval. They were unjustly rebuking them, but they kept bringing their children to Jesus.

d. Just as the parents kept bringing children to Jesus, the disciples kept rebuking them. Why? They though Jesus was too busy to deal with them.

e. Children are a blessing for God. We need to protect them. We need to share Jesus with them. We need to teach them about Jesus. We can learn from Children.

II. Have Child like Faith. VS 14

Mark 10

Mark 10:14 KJV 1900

14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

Exploring the Gospel of Mark: An Expository Commentary b. The Preciousness of a Little One (10:13–16)

Much displeased! The word used has been rendered various ways. It means “to feel pain” or “to be indignant”

1. Much displeased! The word used has been rendered various ways. It means “to feel pain” or “to be disturbed”

a. The disciples thought that Jesus was far too important to be bothered with small children. Jesus, by contrast, thought that small children were too important not to be brought to Him in their tender years.

b. The disciples rebuked the mothers, but the Lord rebuked the disciples. He bluntly told His disciples to stop hindering these little ones from being brought to Him.

c. I believe these children brought joy to Jesus. Children bring joy to me.

d. Statistics gathered over many years have shown that, generally, more people are saved when they are children than at any other time of life. A child’s heart is tender and impressionable. Children are great believers. They have not yet succumbed to the world and its ways

Exploring the Gospel of Mark: An Expository Commentary b. The Preciousness of a Little One (10:13–16)

No wonder Jesus, with a heart full of love, demanded that the little ones be brought to Him! How He longed to bless these children, their mothers, and their homes!

It is surely significant that the incident of the children immediately follows the Lord’s teaching on divorce. The family must be protected at all costs. Divorce is a terrible destroyer of children.

e. Jesus, with a heart full of love, demanded that the little ones be brought to Him! How He longed to bless these children, their mothers, and their homes!

No wonder Jesus, with a heart full of love, demanded that the little ones be brought to Him! How He longed to bless these children, their mothers, and their homes!

f. It is surely significant that the incident of the children immediately follows the Lord’s teaching on divorce. The family must be protected at all costs. Divorce is a terrible destroyer of children.

2. We have to become dependent like a child.

a. Little children don’t have much to offer. Other then Love. We do everything for them. They can’t cook a meal. They can’t mow the grass. They can’t wash the dishes. They have to have everything done for them.

b. Little children are dependent upon others for their very survival. They have no self-security. They have no self-sufficiency. They really cannot make it on their own.

c. We must come before God with our insignificance, and our lack of ultimate security, and our total dependence upon him, and throw ourselves at his mercy.

We must come before God with our insignificance, and our lack of ultimate security, and our total dependence upon him, and throw ourselves at his mercy. He is the potter and we are the clay. He is the creator and we are the created. He is the perfect one and we are the sinful ones. He is the forgiver and we are the ones in great need of forgiveness.

d. He is the potter and we are the clay.

Isaiah 64:9 NKJV

9 Do not be furious, O Lord, Nor remember iniquity forever; Indeed, please look—we all are Your people!

Isaiah 64:8 KJV 1900

8 But now, O Lord, thou art our father; We are the clay, and thou our potter; And we all are the work of thy hand.

e. He is the creator and we are the created.

He is the creator and we are the created. He is the perfect one and we are the sinful ones. He is the forgiver and we are the ones in great need of forgiveness.

f. He is the perfect one and we are the sinful ones.

g. He is the forgiver and we are the ones in great need of forgiveness.

h. Right after today’s story in the gospel of Mark, the next story is about Jesus meeting a rich young man. This guy wanted to know what he had to do to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus mentioned the commandments and they guy said, “Best I know, I’ve kept them all.” Jesus said, “You only lack one thing: you need to give all your money to the poor and follow me.” And the guy couldn’t do it. He walked away sad. More on this story next week.

i. But the point is clear: you must be totally dependent upon God to enter his kingdom. “Small children model true believers who know they have nothing to bring and everything to receive.” To enter the kingdom of God, you must...

3. Receive the kingdom as a gift of God.