Jesus Blesses the Little Children!
Notes
Transcript
The Little Children and Jesus
The Little Children and Jesus
We are going to start this week with the reading of scripture. Stand if you can
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them.
14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
Before we dive in let’s think about “children.” There is not a value higher in our culture than children. Those who have kids focus intently on them from the time they are born.
I know people in our body who have 50, 60 year old children who still pray for them and are concerned about their lives.
There are also times when you would want to send your kids away.
When our boys were little like 3,4,5 they were acting especially terrible one day… Jill told them she was going to send them away. Of course they came running back to us yelling and crying don't send us, don’t send us. And we didn’t of course.
Them both leaving home at the same time after High School was shock to our system. Our house was AWFUL quiet. Some of you am have experienced this.
Josh and Holly have our 2 grand kids in Indianapolis and this adds another whole dimension to the deal.
Now that are boys are both married, have their own lives and will be 30 at the end of the month, we want to hear from them much more than they communicate with us. Josh, Tyler if you can hear this CALL YOUR PARENTS!!!
This passage as a couple of different applications that are appropriate for our message today.
The first one is the most straight forward.
Mark 10.13
Mrk 10.
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them.
First at this point the masses recognized that Jesus had the power to “bless” them., and that blessing carried some weight with the parents and certainly with the Kingdom as any interactive with the Savior would have.
This does not presume that all children are “saved” until they decide differently later. There are some more liturgical churches that use the verse to prove the necessity of infant baptism. The text does not say anything about “baptism.”
Baptism is reserved for those who have committed their lives to Christ and want their church and the world to know they are now ready to participate fully in God’s plan for our world.
What it does say is that Jesus blessed the children. We practice that in our church when we dedicate children to the Lord.
The next part of this verse really disturbed Jesus. The disciples were rebuking the parents. It’s like the disciples were saying that Jesus should not be bothered by these children...
V.14
14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Mark
Jesus was angry… He doesn’t get ANGRY often but he is here.
“Let the little children come to me...” Disciples, Apostles, STOP turning them away. For the KINGDOM OF GOD belongs to SUCH as these.
Children in the context of the first century were “workers-in-training,” lowly. With little or no formal education system, unless you were of the highest class you probably were simply “workers-in-training.”
Jesus elevates them… He not only elevates them to the KINGDOM OF GOD.
Jesus diverts his and our attention in V.15
15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
This is one of many MAJOR pronouncements that Jesus makes in Mark’s Gospel. This is a parable.
We know that Jesus used this simile to hide meanings and intentions. On the face of the verse it talks about children and entering the Kingdom of God.
The key phrase and where we will spend a bit of time is “like a little child”
The key phrase here is “like a little child.”
Matthew uses children as an example of how we enter the Kingdom
. V3
3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18.
Change and become like the the little children… Not actually. But listen to the Gospel of Mark
Change and become like the the little children… Not actually. But listen to the Gospel of Mark
v.33
v.33
33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?”
34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,
37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
Mark 9.33
Now the passage gives us a greater understanding of messaging that Jesus was trying to communicate.
This passage as well as the passage in Matthew are both talking about our posture and how we enter the Kingdom of God.
I have been interested in things of God, things of His people and things of his Word for nearly 35 years. I knew I wanted to do ministry from about a year after I was “saved” and finally realized that goal here at First Baptist in September 2018.
Along a the way I accumulated a Master’s Degree and most of a PhD. All that gave me the tools to answer your questions and to always have the Kingdom of God in sight when I preach and teach.
Seminary does NOT prepare you to be the pastor of a local church nor does it make you “lowly” and “child-like” unless you make that choice to be “lowly” and “child-like.”
OK Jeff, I get it. How do I do that???????????
Be in awe, as a child is, when they see their parent in the morning
Be in awe, as a child is, when the learn a to button a shirt or tie their shoes
Jump around like a child on Christmas morning when a wished for gift is received.
Be curious about the world, engage with the the world, find our place in the world.
Be curious and engage God’s Word. Not as an academic, trying to prove or disprove anything. But Just for purpose to hearing God’s Word in your life.
Celebrate those child-like milestones in your engaging God’s Word. A new truth learned, a sin or sinful life choice concured in Jesus name.
This is Just the beginning...
We don’t have any standing in the Kingdom of God unless we willingly reach out to those who are lowly and child-like.
With our “child-like” ness on I hope that we begin to see the world differently.
Be simple… Live simply… Live like today is your last day on earth. Love like this is your last day earth.
Live by the simplicity of the Gospel
Shortly after Jesus was born He received three gifts from His Father delivered by the Wisemen
These gifts are the Gospel, listen carefully maybe for the first time, maybe for the hundredth time.
Jesus received gold… gold is given to Kings. We first, then the world MUST acknowledge Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Jesus received Frankincense… This is a VERY expensive resin like perfume. Jesus sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary cost Him his life. The payment paid by his death, pays for all of my sin. My and your account with God is PAID-IN-FULL. AMEN… We must acknowledge that there is a price to be paid and Jesus paid it.
And finally myrrh… a strange gift for a baby, the burial spice. We must acknowledge the death and burial of Christ. AND HIS RESURRECTION!! Christ defeated satan on his terms! AMEN!!!
Let’s go back to
Mt
4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
We have seen the Who and Why… but now the tough part… HOW!!!
How do we take a lowly position???
I’ve seen it over and over among you… I’ve seen you in our community. Not as big shots, not as kings and queens but as common people with basic needs, wants and desires.
I’ve see you reach out to others in need… Men, women, children.
I’ve seen you reach around the globe with mission dollars to change the lives of children in far away places.
I’ve seen you reach with your dollars and your support to our kids in our town through our involvement in Young Life and in our community.
All of this is great… it meets a need and I know is appreciated by our community.
Here is where the rubber meets the road
It’s easy write a check...
It’s easy to observe from a distance
It’s easy to say it’s the pastor’s job.
It’s easy to say… I don’t have time, or the words.
What’s really hard is stepping out in faith...
Actually writing a check and giving your time, your talent and treasure to enhance the Kingdom right here in Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser.
To move in from the distance and engage “the lowly” in conversation, in a meal with message of Christ, of redemption that is only found in a relationship with the God through Christ.
To reject that it’s the Pastor’s job to do this “church stuff” And do it yourself.
It will always to easy to say I don’t have the time… make it, I don’t have the words… get them.
There is one final verse in this passage that is the reward...
. V5
5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Mt 18.
There is no single greatest REWARD that a follower of Jesus can have than to welcome into the Kingdom “one such child.” If you have lead someone to the Lord you know this feeling.
Remember the “children” in the passage are exactly children… but they are also the lowly. We have all been the “lowly.” We see the “lowly” around us each and every day. We have pity… but do we enough to reach out to the lowly.
Let’s all pray that we can welcome Christ into our hearts and mind, into our church, into our community, our country and and our world.
Let’s pray!