CHILDREN OF THE KINGDOM
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, as I read Scripture today, help me to learn from your words and actions. Teach me how to follow you more closely and be a blessing to others.
Read MARK 10:13–16
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
The Little Children and Jesus
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on 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 Truly I tell you, 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, placed his hands on them and blessed them.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘Nothing in my hands I bring, / simply to thy cross I cling; / naked, come to thee for dress, / helpless, look to thee for grace.’1
Think Further
The disciples’ behavior shows that they still did not fully understand Jesus’ ministry, nor what it meant to live the life to which he called them, the life which, in spite of all they had seen and heard, they inadequately grasped. Yes, they had indeed left all to follow him. They had sensed that he embodied the truth that they sought. They had persisted. In spite of this, however, they were slow to comprehend all that following their Master implied. Mark continually pressed this point. The disciples still wanted to exert authority, as if their role as the associates of a well-known teacher conferred status and power upon them. Jesus’ ministry, however, was always inclusive and never exclusive. Children could indeed come to Jesus, and he would always welcome them. Furthermore, by encouraging children, Jesus also made it possible for the women who cared for them to come close and listen to the rabbi, when such closeness was normally restricted to males.
Yet again, Jesus uses the situation as a teaching aid. We can only receive the kingdom of God in a childlike way. This statement is often misinterpreted. We must be careful not to read back into this story the modern, sometimes romanticized view of children. The kingdom of God does not belong to us because we are innocent or trusting, and certainly not because we have any rights. Jesus’ illustration was referring to the status of children in his own day. The reality in Jesus’ time was that children had no status or rights, only that accorded to them by their father, whose power over them extended to life itself. God’s kingdom belongs to those who have no status of themselves, only that which is given them by the Father. We come to God as people without status or worth. We come, totally dependent on the Father.
Apply
We can bring nothing to God but ourselves, but we can be children of the Father and he will give us the kingdom.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, if I bring my sin to you, you offer me forgiveness; as I come to you in my brokenness, you make me whole; as I bring you my emptiness, you fill me with hope. Thank you, that as I come to you in faith, salvation is mine.
1 Augustus Montague Toplady, 1740–78, ‘Rock of Ages’
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