Week 23: Jesus Welcomes the Children

A Year In the Life of Jesus | Mark 10:13–16
Teacher: Phil Miller

There is something remarkable about the way Jesus responds to children. In Mark 10, parents and caregivers are bringing their little ones to Jesus, hoping he will touch them and bless them. But the disciples intervene. Apparently, they have decided that Jesus has more important things to do than spend time with babies and toddlers. They attempt to turn the families away.

And Jesus gets angry.

Mark tells us that Jesus was indignant. This wasn't a mild frustration or a gentle correction. Jesus was genuinely upset that his disciples would stand between him and these children. It's as though he's saying, "You are not my bodyguards. Get out of their way. Let them come to me."

What kind of person gets angry because someone is preventing little children from coming near him?

This is the kind of person Jesus is. And because Jesus is God in the flesh, this is what God is like.

Think about that for a moment. The God who created the universe has come to us in a human body. He has arms that can embrace, hands that can touch, and a voice that can speak words of blessing. He doesn't hide behind palace walls or remain inaccessible on some distant mountain. He walks the dusty roads of ordinary life, and when children approach him, he opens his arms.

This is a picture of God worth spending the rest of our lives contemplating.

But Jesus isn't simply making a statement about the importance of children. He's also teaching us something about ourselves. He says, "Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

What is it about children that makes them such a beautiful picture of life in God's kingdom?

Children are wonderfully dependent. They need someone to feed them, hold them, guide them, teach them, and care for them. They don't approach the people who love them with a résumé of accomplishments or a list of reasons they deserve affection. They simply come with their needs, their curiosity, their joy, and their trust.

And Jesus says that this is how we receive the kingdom.

We don't achieve our way into God's favor. We receive it. Entrance into the kingdom isn't dependent upon our status, our achievements, or our ability to demonstrate that we're worthy of God's attention. Like little children, we come empty-handed, trusting the goodness of the One who welcomes us.

Unfortunately, as we grow older, we often lose some of this childlike openness. We become increasingly self-conscious, guarded, cynical, and concerned with what others think. We accumulate disappointments and wounds. We learn to prize independence and self-sufficiency, and eventually we can begin approaching God as though spiritual maturity means needing him less.

But we never outgrow our need for God. In fact, genuine spiritual maturity involves learning to depend on him more deeply.

Humility is not thinking less of ourselves or pretending that we have nothing to offer. It is the posture of a soul that has learned to live in trust. We can bring our questions, our needs, our limitations, and even our joy to God without having to prove ourselves first.

And notice what Jesus does next. He doesn't merely allow the children to remain nearby. He takes them into his arms, lays his hands on them, and blesses them. He gives them his personal attention and affection. The God who made us for relationship has come near enough to embrace us.

This leaves us with two invitations that belong together: Always be like a child. And always be like Jesus.

Be like a child in the way you approach God. Come with dependence rather than self-sufficiency, sincerity rather than pretense, and trust rather than the exhausting need to control everything.

And be like Jesus in the way you approach others. Become someone who welcomes, listens, nurtures, encourages, and blesses. Give people your attention. Make room for those who might otherwise be overlooked. Let the love you have received become love that you freely extend.

Paul captures these two movements beautifully in Ephesians 5 when he calls us to imitate God as dearly loved children and to walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us.

Be loved to love.

The Christian faith is simple enough for a child to receive and profound enough to spend a lifetime exploring. We never become too old, too accomplished, or too mature to need the arms of Jesus.

We are all children who need his touch, his welcome, and his blessing. And the good news is that his arms remain open.