Mark 10:13-16                   Receive as a child??                                                        4/10/15

(13) People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch 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} I tell you the truth, 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, put his hands on them and blessed them.

What a wonderful and important encouragement we receive from our Lord here in this reading. Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Jesus is holding up little children as an example to us, as to the nature of accessibility into God’s kingdom. He accepts and blesses them even though, from our perspective, they do not understand the complexities of the faith. In that, he teaches us a number of very important lessons.

Here at this baptismal font over the years we have witnessed many a marvellous reality as parents come bringing their little children to Jesus to have him touch them; and through it great things have happened. The children have been richly blessed, as they have been washed clean from that original sin which clings to all humanity since the fall of Adam; and the sin that continues to harass and beset them throughout the course of their lives. There they were adopted into God’s family, being accepted as his very own. Little though they are; unable as we might consider, to be able to reason, comprehend and accept all that is going on; they receive all that God has in mind for them. They there are richly blessed by the Lord Almighty himself.

What a great lesson our Lord has given to us through these momentous events. As we have simply looked and received all that he has said and done here, we surely are greatly encouraged as his people. Surely this gives us great confidence and hope as we go forward to live our lives in a world that continually pounds us with negativity and hopelessness. God has forgiven us and accepted us as his very own: he does have many simple and clear promises and directions for us to help us along the way. He has assured us that all will be well for us, for he has also richly blessed us.

But too often, we like the disciples and the Pharisees, reject and complicate what God has said and done for us. How can God bring these little ones into his kingdom without them deciding that this is what they want for themselves? How can they come to a proper understanding so that they can be acceptable at this point? How can we not divorce when we are not fulfilled in our marriage because we are not getting what we want? Surely we are not blessed if we stay in that situation? Surely men and women are equal in every way? Surely for us to be truly blessed we have to experience health, wealth and happiness in the fullest earthly sense?

Surely ...... I could go on and on with examples one after another, to indicate how we do not accept what God has simply and plainly said to us and given to us. We want to place ourselves and our pride right into the thick of it all. We want God to accept us according to our criteria of what is good and right; and we want him to allow us to live on our terms and according to our thinking.

Surely our Lord is therefore just as indignant toward us as he was to the people of his day. How dare we put such stumbling blocks in the way of the people around about us, and in particular our little ones, whether they be babies or babes in the faith. How dare we refuse to bring our little ones to Jesus to be blessed by him; not just in baptism; but regularly, week by week into his house so that he can continue to bless and strengthen them.

We all too often try to justify ourselves by saying that if we are to bring our children up well we must give them all these earthly things, such as, a good education, sport and recreation, a good family life, and all the rest; but then we will leave it up to them to make their own choice about religion. For our part we will bring them only occasionally to God’s house so that he can touch them. By doing so we are telling them quite clearly that this is not all that important. Then we are truly hindering our little ones and all the people around about us who see our attitude toward these things. They surely can see through us and what is important to us!!

How dare we offend others by seeking to ignore and change God’s Word to suit ourselves in lots of other areas of life, simply so that we can have what we want from life? No wonder there is such a drift away from the Church in recent years. If people can readily see that we don’t simply receive what God has freely given to us, but instead we use it all to our own advantage; no wonder they are hindered and turned away from the truth.

We are not to put burdens on people with all kinds of demands that we have to live up to certain experiences and feelings in order to be acceptable to God. Or, burden them with saying that we now have the freedom to do as we please, rather than follow the commands that God himself has given us. How dare we treat God with such contempt that we are prepared to change what he has to say in his Word in order to suite the whims of our culture around us.

Instead we need to hear what our Lord Jesus says here when he says: , "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."  

The kingdom of God belongs to such as these who simply receive what he has to offer, without any self-righteous and questioning attitude. These little ones have no great knowledge, experience or feeling on which to base their ability to be acceptable to God. They have no good deeds to hold up as an offering to ‘their side of the bargain.’ They are however washed clean and accepted by God’s good grace through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. He has done everything necessary for them and for us and for our salvation. We simply receive all that he has to offer.

Here again, we receive these things as Jesus says: like a little child. A little one simply receives the love of its parents along with all of the other things that they have to offer. It is only when they get older that they insist on their own way and seek to do what they want to do. But as little ones they simply receive, and they thrive on it. They trust that mum and dad will give them all that they need in order to live each day as it comes. They trust that what mum and dad says is right.

So as mum and dad regularly bring their little ones to God’s house they not only receive the benefits of baptism which joins them to Jesus and his death and resurrection, but they then more and more grow into a deeper understanding of what all this means for them. As they grow they come to know that this is God’s house: Jesus is here; and they accept it as such. They see me stand up here and they see Jesus. They simply receive me as Jesus: Whereas we as adults question whether the pastor actually is here in ‘the stead of Christ’. The little one knows that ‘Jesus loves me:’ Because that is what the Bible says. The little one, as it regularly comes into God’s house, simply receives what happens along the way.

But as I said before, sadly as little ones are not brought into God’s house they are trained right from an early age, to reject all the good things that God has to offer. What we say and do with regard to what is important in our lives, is what they receive into their lives as well. When we talk more about money and pleasure than we do about Jesus, they hear it loud and clear. When they see that our actions do not match our words, they recognise it for the hypocrisy that it is.

But as the little ones hear of Jesus and are brought to him, he touches them and blesses them. Because we know that he does all that he says with regard to baptism, we have the same confidence that he is continually at work in theirs and our lives as well, and so the blessings continue to be a part of our lives day in, day out. As we all regularly are brought to Jesus we know that he will touch us and give us what we truly need. Not just what we think is good for us.

We too can trust that what he says in the Bible is what is right and true and which is good for us; even if it doesn’t make sense at the moment. When he says take and eat his body and blood which was given and shed for us for the forgiveness of our sins, we receive it just as he says.

In receiving all that he has to offer we too can live and thrive in a sinful and destructive world. For those words of his also apply to each of us: Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. We too can know that we are truly blessed even though often it is not the way that it outwardly looks. We too have his promise that; “Lo, I am with you always. Even to the end of the age.”

So we can live with confidence and hope as we go forward. As we stay close to him and remember that he is with us always, we know that the future will work out for good, not matter what we face at any given time. Above all we know that at the end of our time here on this earth, that he will take us to be with himself in heaven, there to enjoy all his goodness, free from all that is bad.

So, yes he has for us everything that we really need, for this life and the next. All we need is simply to continually receive what he has to give.

So again to Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, the one who touches and blesses his children; to him be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish