Receiving in Humility

Scripture Reading

Luke 18:15–17 NIV84

15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Introduction

Context… Jesus has taught on entering the kingdom… what it means to be part of kingdom.

Last week - dealt with the pride of the pharisee while praying.

This text is directly linked to that one.

1. Blessing for the Helpless (v.15a)

Luke 18:15 (NIV84)

15 People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them.

The context begins with people bringing their babies to Jesus.

In the parallel accounts, it speaks of the people bringing their “little children” to Jesus.

In Luke’s account, he specifically speaks about babies. The word in the original refers literally to infants.

It is very possible that there were both young children and babies involved. The point is simply that they were being brought to Jesus for a blessing.

In other words, parents were coming with their small babies in order to obtain a blessing from Jesus.

This blessing would have involved the laying on of hands on the chidlren.

It was not a baptism… it was not a christening… It was simply bringing them to JEsus, asking him to lay his hands on them as children, and pronounce a blessing upon the child.

Note the parallel account in Matthew 19:13

Matthew 19:13 NASB95

13 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.

Similarly, in Mark’s Gospel, we read what Jesus did when the children actually came to him…

Mark 10:13 NASB95

13 And they were bringing children to Him so that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked them.

Mark 10:16 NASB95

16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.

This blessing that was being given was something that was quite common in the Old Testament days.

It reminds us of the blessing that Israel (Jacob) pronounced on the sons of Joseph. These were his grandsons…

Genesis 48:14–16 NASB95

14 But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, crossing his hands, although Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 He blessed Joseph, and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, 16 The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; And may my name live on in them, And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

The idea behind this is the bestowal of good upon a person.

It could have been used in the context of a father blessing his son with an inheritance.

It could have been used simply in terms of a pronouncement of God’s favour upon a person.

Alternatively, blessings were used for obedience to God, and curses in the event of disobedience.

We must not think in our minds that this blessing had anything to do with salvation.

Put differently, we must not think that this blessing upon the children constituted them to be God’s elect, as we speak biblically.

Why do I say that?

Because even those who are not God’s elect may receive blessing from God.

A key example of this is with Abraham and his son Ishmael.

Recall the account… Abraham and Sarah attempted to take matters into their own hands in order to have the promises of God to them fulfilled.

Abraham had a child by Sarah’s maid-servant Hagar.... and that was Ishmael.

God essentially said to Abraham that this was not the child of the promise…

Genesis 17:18–20 NASB95

18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” 19 But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 “As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

So, it’s clear that the blessing of God does not mean that a person is one of God’s elect. It means that there is this pronouncement of good… a desire for good to come about in the life of the person.

Keep in mind, Jesus was a very well respected “Rabbi” among the people.

Certainly not popular among the religious leaders… but very popular among the people as he performed miracles, and taught the people with authority.

He was well known, and clearly these people wanted to bring their children to Jesus in order to have this well-respected Rabbi pronounce a blessing upon their children.

A Blessing of Good will… good wishes.

2. Contempt from the Disciples (v.15b)

In verse 15b we read of the response of the disciples as they witness this situation unfolding.

Luke 18:15 (NIV84)

15 ...When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.

The disciples are clearly not impressed.

The wording that is used suggests that the disciples were trying unsuccesfully to stop the people from bringing their children

Clearly the disciples were not impressed with the people bringing their children to Jesus.

We are not told any further detail of the reason for them doing this.

But from the response of Jesus that we’ll look at in a moment, it is evident that they found the children to be unworthy of approaching Jesus.

Clearly the disciples had a measure of disdain for children.

We do need to keep in mind that children were not highly esteemed within the culture.

In fact, children in this 1st century culture were insignificant, weak members of society. They exemplified the “least of these” in society.

That’s probably what is behind the disciple’s reaction here.

Notice - Christ’s reaction is vastly different.

3. Compassion from the Saviour (v.16)

Luke 18:16 NIV84

16 But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Notice the switch from “babies” (v.15) to “children” (v.16). This is not an error… It simply shows that there was a range of age, from infants / babies up to younger children.

The important point here is that Jesus calls for these children to come to him.

If primary importance of here is that the attitude of Jesus contrasted significantly with that of the disciples.

Do not Show Partiality

In other words, the normal societal prejudicial view on certain people was not part of Christ’s attitude.

It’s important that we see what is and what isn’t going on here.

If we’re not careful, we can end up getting off balance here.

Christ was not teaching that there is no structure within society.

He’s not doing away with authority structures (and I mean sound biblical authority structures, rather than distorted views of authority structures).

Important in our day… children’s rights movement is taking things to a point that is unbiblical.

So, children, as the weaker and more vulnerable in society ought to be regarded with special care.

They are those made in the image of God - They are image bearers from conception.... not birth… from conception.

As such, they are to be treated fairly, with a measure of respect purely as image-bearers.

Deuteronomy 1:16–17 NASB95

16 “Then I charged your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen, and judge righteously between a man and his fellow countryman, or the alien who is with him. 17 ‘You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’

In Leviticus 20, God commands the Israelites to make sure that no person offers up their child as a sacrifice to Molech… why? Because they’re image bearers.

It might sound radical… but it’s a simple matter of children being image bearers of God.

Where you have image bearers, although there are certain authority structures in place for the wellbeing of society, those are never to be used as any form of oppression.

Exodus 23:2–3 NASB95

2 “You shall not follow the masses in doing evil, nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after a multitude in order to pervert justice; 3 nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his dispute.

The poor man would typically have been given a less favourable outcome… looked down upon. Less weight placed upon his case.

Isn’t this the way we see people operating nowadays?

That’s why James commanded that there be no partiality.

That’s essentially what Jesus is saying here…

Just because these children are children, doesn’t mean that they don’t have access to me. Let them come.

Kingdom Belongs to Such…

Jesus then goes on to say, “The kingdom of God belongs to such as these…”

The “Kingdom of God” has been considered earlier in our study of Luke’s Gospel.

It essentially refers to the kingdom reign and rule of Christ in the hearts of people.

It refers to Christ’s Lordship over His people.

But what then does Jesus mean by these words?

Some take this to mean that all children belong to the Kingdom of Christ.

That’s definitely not what is being said here by Jesus.

Notice that Christ says that the kingdom belongs to “such as these.”

He’s not speaking here to any innate goodness within the child.

This is important for us to see in our own day, particularly in light of the world’s idea in many circles that man is inherently good.

In other words, you will hear it taught (and I’m sure you’ve already heard this, and maybe even you believe it…) that when children are born, they are inherently good.... as they grow, they may choose to do bad things.

Not all secular psychologists believe this, but it is a fairly common view.

What Christ is addressing here is a character quality within children, some quality that is possessed by children, that is essential for entrance to the kingdom.

That’s why Jesus says that the kingdom belongs to “such as these...”

Fourth point then…

4. Receiving in Humility (v.17)

In verse 17, Jesus goes on to say…

Luke 18:17 NIV84

17 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

The character quality of the person to whom belongs the kingdom has to do with the manner of receiving.

Receiving… ?

The kingdom of God is usually spoken of as “enter into...”

Here, Christ teaches that it must be received.

Spurgeon…

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXIV Receiving the Kingdom of God as a Little Child (No. 1,439)

We do not enter into the kingdom of God by working out some deep problem and arriving at its solution; not by fetching something out of ourselves, but by receiving a secret something into us. We come into the kingdom by the kingdom’s coming into us: it receives us by our receiving it.

What is this receiving?

It is the receiving of the grace of God through faith in Christ.

Character Qualities…

A couple of possible qualities have been put forth in this regard…

Lack of Attachment to Possessions…

Some suggest that this is what is at play.

Passage that follows - rich young ruler…

They suggest that children have a lack of attachment to possessions...

I’m not convinced of that… perhaps they haven’ watched children respond when someone tries to take their toys away from them…

There’s quite a strong attachment.

A Simple Faith Free from Doubt

A real possibility, at least that there is an element of this.

Luke 17:5–6 NASB95

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.

According to this view, a person must trust in God as a child would trust in their parents.

A child doesn’t concern themselves so much where the next meal is coming from. They assume that their parents are providing it for them.

There is a trust…

This is what’s referred to as a child-like (not childish) faith.

Most likely....

A humility due to no claim on God.

This is probably the key attribute…

A child has no claim on God.

Think of the context of this passage in Luke’s Gospel...

We looked last week at the pharisee and the tax collector…

ELB

A child has no claim upon anyone… they are utterly dependent upon their parents in order to provide for them

They don’t work to earn ....

As babies… they are in absolute dependence upon God.

Further....

Humility as a child is commended by Jesus.

Matthew 18:4 NASB95

4 “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Application

A.1. Judge things Biblically / Rightly

The thinking in the minds of the disciples - these children are insignificant…

Sometimes we may think along these lines. Perhaps of other people.

We show favoritism towards those who are esteemed…

Or we esteem people wrongly in our own minds.

As much as we know the Scriptures, we still tend to judge incorrectly…

Our natural selves shudders at the thought of humility…

IT doesn’t matter your background… / Level… You’re welcome…

A.2. Come in Humble Faith

Psalm 131:2 NASB95

2 Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; Like a weaned child rests against his mother, My soul is like a weaned child within me.

1 Peter 1:14 NASB95

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,

Luke 9:46–48 NASB95

46 An argument started among them as to which of them might be the greatest. 47 But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side, 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for the one who is least among all of you, this is the one who is great.”

Luke Contemporary Significance

Two points emerge from 18:15–17. (1) This passage calls us to reflect on faith. We should look at a child hanging on its mother’s arm and ask, “Do I turn to my Father in heaven like that?” When life slows down long enough for me to look around, what often catches my eye is a child walking by the side of a parent with a small hand stretched up as high as it can go so his or her fragile fingers can lock onto the hand of Mom or Dad. I inevitably see the child’s feet walking as fast as they can to keep up with the parent’s gait. In that scene is a picture of a child of God. We are to place our hands in his and walk with him at our side, letting him direct our steps. Such humility, trust, and dependence calls on us to seek the face of our heavenly Father and stay close to him as we walk with him.

A.3. Bring our Children to Jesus

The first point of application must not be missed. In our efforts to focus on the main point that Jesus makes through this passage, we may overlook the immediate implication. That is, that it is more than appropriate to bring our own children to Jesus.

Spurgeon Writes:

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXIV Receiving the Kingdom of God as a Little Child (No. 1,439)

Jesus waits to bless. He is not changed in character, or impoverished in grace; as he still receiveth sinners, so doth he still bless children; and let none of us be content, whether we be parents or teachers, until he has received our children, and has so blessed them that we are sure that they have entered the kingdom of God.

Children receive things so openly, and they are able to be taught and trained.

Proverbs 22:6 NASB95

6 Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

Ephesians 6:4 NASB95

4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.