Children: Reflections of Christ's Kingdom

Matt 18:1-6 “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And He called a child to Himself and set him among them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name, receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

Mark 10:13-16 “And they were bringing children to Him so that He would touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Allow the children to come to Me; do not forbid them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.”

My message today- like many others I’ve preached- was inspired by something that the Lord allowed me to see while studying, as He caused me to reflect on recent events. I was on my way into work, and it is my custom to listen to an audiobook or audio bible. If the Lord inspires me, I will either record an audio note or write out my thoughts when I arrive at my destination. In this case, I was listening to the text from which was derived our subject for today.

As a Pastor, my job can be summed up in three words: feed, guide & protect. Interestingly, the same description applies, in my humble opinion, to fatherhood. As I was meditating on the text, I thought about how important Fatherhood is to me. Although I have only been a father for one quarter of my life, it has become the most important & defining characteristic to me. When asked to define myself, I typically say, “I am a husband, a father & a man of Faith.” Although I know in my heart that this is a good thing, where did this idea- this sense of goodness- come from? As I dwelled on this, I sensed that the Lord was preparing me to minister to you on the larger subjects: the sanctity of all life, young & old, and how God’s purpose for children.

This morning, I hope to accomplish 3 things:

Redeem the original meaning of Christ’s teaching about children (using the selected texts)

Highlight the importance of protecting and raising children.

Equipping the Church to “speak the truth in love” (Eph 4:15) to a culture that no longer understands and greatly undervalues both.

Our culture takes for granted the fact that abusing children is morally wrong we forget where this idea came from. Historian O.M. Bakke argues that it was Christianity that made these more with use nearly universal in the west. At the time when Jesus spoke these words, this was of your children in his culture:

In ancient Greece and Rome children were considered non-persons.

Abortion was widespread.

All unwanted children were abandon or exposed, left outside to die of hunger or to be devoured by wild animals. Abandon babies were often rescued in forced into slavery.

Brothels that specialized in the use slaves, including children, were legal and thriving businesses. Romans who owned young slaves even hired them out to brothels.

In Rome fathers even had the legal rights to kill their children for any reason.   “Children, much like slaves, were the fathers property- just material objects. To a large extent he could treat his wife, his children, and other household members as he pleased, without any fear of legal consequences “.

This is the culture in which the Christian church was born. This is the culture in which Jesus shocked his contemporaries by treating children as valuable. Jesus even held up children as a positive paradigm for adults to emulate. As the Gospel spread throughout the empire, there tangible affects:

Christians gained political influence in the Roman empire they succeeded in passing laws outlying infanticide in AD 374.

Although they passed laws granting government aid to poor families who did not have the means to raise their children so they would not be tempted to abandon or exposed, the laws didn’t end the practice. The Church did! The clergy finally persuaded parents to give up their babies at the doors of the church instead, which gave rise to the first orphanages. And the first hospitals…and the first schools.

In both of the texts that were read, Jesus challenges the culture of His day, and sets a clear expectation for anyone who desires to gain access to His Kingdom. “Unless you change and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

What are some of the traits attributed to children that Jesus talks about?

Humility (Matthew 18:4). The child came to Jesus without hesitation; He didn’t have to give him an explanation or convince him. Jesus only had to call him. It takes humility to admit that you don’t have all of the answers; to cry when you’re hurting & not hide it; to ask for help, to depend on someone else

It was Jesus his own life and death that destroyed the notion that the value of life depends on social status. After all, the God who made heaven and earth humbled himself to become a child! Christ lived a life of poverty and weakness then submitted himself to death on the cross, considered the most barbaric and humiliating form of execution. Christians began to proclaim the radical message that basic human rights do not depend on status, or power, or stage of life. Yes, I said stage of life! At this point you might be saying to yourself, “Pastor, why does any of this (the past) matter?” It matters because the practices of a pre-Christian society signal the direction that our post Christian society is likely to take.

Hopefully I have accomplished my 1st objective of providing historical context; but what can we learn from Jesus about the importance of protecting & raising children?

Jesus admonishes His followers to take care of children:

Receive them as you would receive me (Matthew 18:5). Jesus gives children a place of honor, by associating them directly with Himself. “Welcome them in My Name (my Person); in doing so, you receive Me.” Jesus does not make such a connection with any other group or demographic.

Allow them to come to me (Mark10:14). A quick word study yields a wealth of knowledge in this particular verse. The word “allow” here means “leave [them]; forgive or pardon [them]; to permit; to leave alone; to allow [them]; to give [them] up; let [them] go. In other words, parents/adults/caretakers…get out of God’s way! Don’t be an obstacle for children in your life to receive Jesus; set forth an example that “allows them” to see Jesus. And don’t “forbid them”, assuming that they don’t understand or they’re not ready. They understand more than you know…and if there’s a “vaccuum” in their learning, it will be filled by something else.

Some of the strongest words spoken by Christ relate to the defending of children, His “little ones”.

Don’t cause them to “Stumble” into sin (Matthew 18:6). Our influence, our example will shape our children. Their moral compass, their sense of right & wrong, is being adjusted with everything they see and hear from us. If they see us compromise, they will compromise too. Christ is not shy about making it known that there will be consequences for causing our children to stumble.

So how do we help to bring these truths that shaped the Western world back to the public square? How do we share the importance of preserving our children, how do we raise them up properly? It all begins with you- you must redeem your place as a child in God’s family!

When was the last time you truly humbled yourself before God?When He says, “come to me” are you full of excuses and questions, or do you just say, “Yes Lord!”

How welcoming are you? Are you so entrenched in your identity- what makes you different and unique- that you cannot easily see the beauty in others, or the things that we have in common?

In the same way that our children are little reflections of us, we should be reflections of our Heavenly Father.