Kids in the Kingdom

Series on Luke

IV The Imperatives of the Kingdom

B Instruction in Rejection

24 Self Effacement

Text: 18:15-17

Introduction

These words of Jesus occurring in Matthew, Mark and Luke have rarely received the attention they deserve. The church has failed to grasp the importance of them. One commentator says, “it still continues to be the great weakness of most protestant churches that spiritual ministry to children is far too superficial… in the life of the church too often nearly ninety nine percent of its time, money, and strength is devoted to adults and a fatally insignificant proportion to children.” These words are addressed not only to a confused Church but to a changing culture which vacillates between enslaving children and deifying them. On one hand it is the children who should be seen and not heard, and on the other it is the parents who should be seen and not heard. We hear much rhetoric in the campaign speeches about family values but such values do not and cannot stand by themselves. They have meaning only in the context of God’s creating and redeeming the family. Family values have their only true foundation in the covenantal commitment of the Lord to bless humanity through the family. This is why Jesus is so vehement in rebuking the disciples which brings me to the first point, Jesus expressing the rebuke.

I Jesus Expressing Rebuke

In verse 15 we read, People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. We see the disciples rebuking the people, but instead of Jesus approving His reaction is a severe rebuke. This is a public rebuke of His disciples, and Mark 10:13 tells us that Jesus was indignant. The Greek word used there means being angry at injustice. When Jesus is angry at something we ought to pay attention and try to understand why. In this case the answer is readily available. In their Old Testament Scriptures God had made clear to them that the children belonged to Him. He called Abraham to command his children after him and promised that his seed would bless the entire earth. We are Abraham’s seed says Paul. When God took Israel out of Egypt he reminded them in Exodus 12 of the importance of teaching the meaning of the passover to their children. In the renewal of the law in Deuteronomy 6 God says, These commandments that i give you today are to be upon your hearts, impress them on your children.talk about them when you sit when you walk,when you lie down or get up, put them on your hands and foreheads and write them on your door frames and gates. The disciples were going against all that God had taught in his Word concerning families and their children. Need I remind you that today those who mistakenly treat their children as outsiders, as non-members in the church, as non-citizens of the kingdom of God and thus create an adversarial relationship between parent and child are doing exactly what the disciples did. The Westminster Confession captures the essence of Jesus’ indignation when it says, “The visible church consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion and of their children, and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God.” And so let us look at the next verse in which we find Jesus embracing the children.

II Jesus Embracing the Recipients

In verse 16, Jesus embraces the children, 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. What Jesus says here is that these children are heirs of the covenant of grace. Words fail to express the beauty of the Savior who came to die for his people opening his blessed arms to these little babies and toddlers brought by their parents, and embracing them as his people, the subjects of his kingdom, for that is what he says. These children are among those whom the Father has given to Jesus and for whom he will presently die upon the cross. Hear the words of the author of Psalm 127, Sons are a heritage from the lord, children a reward from him. This is true only because God signs and seals them as His own. Thus God gave Abraham the sign of circumcision for he believed God and God said he was to place this sign upon his children. Shall the tiny infant bear the same sign as father Abraham the supreme example of faith? Yes says God for they belong to me. That sign represented the most intimate life-changing experience. It stood for the cleansing of the heart for God says in Deuteronomy 10:16, The Lord set his affection on your forefathers and he chose you their descendants therefore circumcise your hearts and do not be stiff necked any longer. And yet here were Abraham’s children future all unknown, hearts undisclosed and they received the sign of the covenant because they belonged to God, because as Peter preached at Pentecost, the promise is unto us and our children. This is so obvious in the Bible that Jesus is indignant when his disciples don’t see it. In fact when we read in the New Testament that the household of Lydia was baptized and all the family of the Philippian jailor were baptized, in Acts 16, doesn’t it make you wonder . If it is so important to hold the children at arm’s length until they reach a certain age then why doesn’t the New Testament ever emphasize that point? In fact it is so obvious that the children belong to Jesus and are part of his kingdom that we never should have thought otherwise.

III Jesus Explaining the Rules

Now in the last verse of our text Jesus applies this truth, I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” He is not just saying that we must be childlike, meek, humble, and trusting in our relationship to him. He is recognizing that the very act of not including the children represents a kind of spiritual pride that misunderstands what salvation is all about. Salvation is about accepting God’s love without reservation and without doubting the intentions of the giver. Why do we warn our children at certain holidays not to accept candy from strangers. We do it because that’s what they’re likely to do. Children believe what is given to them is good for them and they receive it without thinking they deserve it. They don’t doubt God’s love and they don’t doubt their need of it. Rather than push the children away and exclude them from the household of God we should imitate them by being open to God’s love in our lives. Jesus is not saying that elderly people cannot receive the kingdom or be saved, but He is saying that in order to do so, they must become like little children. Many times we become uptight about our spiritual performance. We try to bargain with God or earn his favor. Roll back the years dear friends. Once there was a time when we simply accepted his love. In the words of the apostle John in I John 3:1, How great is the love the father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God. In the last study we looked at the Pharisee and the publican and the message was, come as you are. It is the same in this verse. This is the covenant of grace, not the covenant of works. Come as you are and bring your children with you. Make them part of His Church for they are heirs of the kingdom.