Kids Rule!

The link between the prior passages and this one have to do with the issue of faith and humility.

Think of the language of the Widow and the Tax Collector:

A judge who does not care about God of people

Widow who never gave up and was relentless!

Cry to God day and night

God be merciful to me

While children may not “act” humble, they are, in fact, humble.

They are fully reliant on adults to care for them.

They are relentless in what they want.

They cry out, often day and night!

They are also innocent.

Some will not agree with me on that point.

But there is something about children in this day that is interesting

Luke 18:15–17 BE:NT

People were bringing even tiny babies to Jesus for him to touch them. When the disciples saw it, they forbade them sternly. But Jesus called them. ‘Let the children come to me,’ he said, ‘and don’t stop them! God’s kingdom belongs to the likes of these. I’m telling you the truth: anyone who doesn’t receive God’s kingdom like a child will never get into it.’

People were bringing even tiny babies...

But the disciples forbade them sternly. In other words, NO, get out of HERE!

Why would they:

BRING THEM (Sympathetic magic, maybe)

FORBID THEM

***** But Jesus called them...

Knock it off! Let them come to me!

Don’t stop them!

God’s Kingdom belongs to the likes of these.

Why would he need to say this?

*****SLIDE I’m telling you the truth...

Receive like a child.

What does that mean?

Is it childlike faith?

OR

Is it in the way you receive children?

In other words, if you reject children, then you reject the kingdom

OR

Is it about believing?

Though Jesus will be no romantic about children, somewhere among their openness, willingness to trust, freedom from hypocrisy or pretension, conscious weakness, and readiness for dependence Jesus finds those qualities that are essential for entry into the kingdom of God.

John Nolland, Luke 9:21–18:34, vol. 35B, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1993), 882.

They own nothing,…Their possessions are few.

They cannot rule anything or anyone.

This may be MORE ABOUT STATUS

Than FAITH...

The REASON is this...

The CHILD is sandwiched between

Widow/Judge (Status)

Tax Collector/Pharisee (Status)

Child/Rich YOUNG Ruler (Status)

Luke 18:18–30 BE:NT

There was a ruler who asked him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit the life of the age to come?’ ‘Why call me good?’ said Jesus to him. ‘No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Don’t commit adultery, don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t swear falsely, honour your father and mother.’ ‘I’ve kept them all’, he said, ‘since I was a boy.’ When Jesus heard that, he said to him, ‘There’s just one thing you’re short of. Sell everything you own, and distribute it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.’ When he heard that he turned very sad; he was extremely wealthy. Jesus saw that he had become sad, and said, ‘How hard it is for those with possessions to enter God’s kingdom! Yes: it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter God’s kingdom.’ The people who heard it said, ‘So who can be saved?’ ‘What’s impossible for humans’, said Jesus, ‘is possible for God.’ ‘Look here,’ said Peter, ‘we’ve left everything and followed you.’ ‘I’m telling you the truth,’ said Jesus, ‘everyone who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, because of God’s kingdom, will receive far more in return in the present time—and in the age to come they will receive the life that belongs to that age.’

**** There was a ruler who asked him...

Jesus just got through telling people how to receive the kingdom.

The RICH YOUNG RULER has a kingdom, so he is not interested in that

He is interested in the LIFE of the AGE TO COME.

**** Why call me good....

Jesus trips him up, Why call me Good.

You know the commandments (WHAT IS MISSING? Covet Wife and House, Sabbath, No Idols, Only God)

But, he has kept all of these.

FOR HOW LONG? Since he was a boy.

(Didn’t we just read about children and Jesus receiving them?)

**** When Jesus heard that...

Jesus, amazing, he uses the motivation of Riches to try to motivate this young man.

But the cost of getting treasure in heaven will be what?

Give up everything (like a child has nothing)

Follow me (like a child follows a parent)

**** [FILL IN] When he heard that he turned very sad

How would you feel if Jesus said this to you?

Would you sell everything, house, cars, furniture.

Would you give up netflix, youtube, and refridgerator

Would you give it all away to the poor?

Don’t get too high and mighty when you read this.

WE ARE JUST LIKE HIM...

**** Jesus saw that he had become sad...

The old camel metaphor…again, don’t be too proud to admit your own wealth.

The point here is: We are wrapped up in our things.

We BELIEVE our things are ALL WE HAVE.

****The people who heard it said...

There is quite a bit of hearing in this passage!

Jesus heard he had kept the commandments

The ruler heard Jesus and was sad

Jesus saw he had become sad

The people heard what Jesus said

They ask a good question, they UNDERSTAND what he is saying.

They AGREE it is impossible, nobody can do this.

What is impossible for humans is possible for God…They don’t yet understand this

He will address this in the next passage, but that is NEXT WEEK

Peter jumps in!

Hey Lord, have you noticed we have left everything and followed you?

**** I’m telling you the truth...

READ THIS CAREFULLY...

Who is Jesus responding to? PETER or the PEOPLE?

Good question, we don’t know. But, let’s look at this.

If you leave home and family for God’s Kingdom

You WILL RECEIVE FAR MORE...

IN THIS PRESENT TIME

AND

IN THE AGE TO COME YOU WILL RECEIVE LIFE.

That was the rulers question, wasn’t it?

How may inherit life in the age to come?

****CAMP OUT HERE FOR A MOMENT****

Is Jesus asking them to ABANDON?

Home

Wife/Husband

Brother/Sister

Mom/Dad

Children

What does this word LEFT mean...

LEFT: let go, send away, give up, divorce, remit, pardon, leave, depart from, tolerate, send forth, let loose, put forth, dismiss, depart from, leave behind, leave in place, forgive, cancel a debt, reject, release, neglect, leave alone, give up.

This is how we often read this word.

But is this how they would have understood it?

In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible we find this word too.

They used this word LEFT in place of other Hebrew words, Here is the list:

Natan (7) - Give, surrender (4th)

Nasa (9) - Lift, carry, exalt (3rd)

Selah (14) - Indulge, forgive (2nd)

Noah (17) - Settle down, rest, await (1st)

So what is the point here, kind of hidden...

You think you have left it all,

but you follow me for today’s riches.

Why were they BRINGING even INFANTS to JESUS.

So he could TOUCH THEM, BLESS THEM.

In other words, you need to stop trying to gain the wealth of this world for yourself and for your family.

Isn’t that what he just got through telling the Rich Young Ruler?

Isn’t that how a child behaves?

Does a child (0-3) try to gain the wealth of the world?

Do you really believe that WEALTH is the mark of a good person?

That is why the Rich young ruler is so confused.

Jesus HAS NOTHING. HAS LEFT EVERYTHING BEHIND. NOT EVEN A PILLOW.

Yet, Jesus has this relationship with God the Father that is unlike anything the world has seen.

Jesus sees the creation for what it IS NOT.

IT IS NOT the CREATOR.

It is NOT ABOUT LEAVING, ABANDONING THEM.

That would violate the command to love your neighbor.

It is about BRINGING THEM and DON’T PUT ANYTHING IN THEIR WAY.

Luke 18:15–17 (BE:NT)

But Jesus called them. ‘Let the children come to me,’ he said, ‘and don’t stop them! God’s kingdom belongs to the likes of these.

There are millions of ways we stop people (and ourselves) from coming to Christ.

We won’t let go, we stand in the place of God and become like God to them.

We must GET OUT OF THE WAY by GOING THE WAY of JESUS.