Saturday, August 14, 2021

14 August 2021 - let the children come


Children were brought to Jesus
that he might lay his hands on them and pray.
The disciples rebuked them

To the disciples it seemed as though these children were merely wasting Jesus's time. They knew it was important for Jesus to preach to sinners, to heal the sick, and to set free those possessed by demons. But what claim did children, perhaps younger than the age of reason, apparently in good health, have upon the master?

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;

As far as we know the children didn't come to Jesus to get anything out of him. They were simply drawn to him by his goodness, which they, in their simplicity, were able to perceive. Why did this bother the disciples so much? Maybe they still imagined that to be with Jesus was something that had to be earned, that it was based on their talents or skills. Seeing these children who had nothing to offer Jesus welcomed may well have been a blow to their pride. 

for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

It was not just that children were also permitted to come to Jesus after those who needed him or who, so the others imagined, had something to offer him. It was rather these children who had priority. They were drawn to Jesus because of who he was and not at all on the basis of who they themselves were, nor merely out of any pressing need on their part.

These little children that came to Jesus are meant to be a model for us to follow as we ourselves approach him. We may be chagrined to learn that our talents and efforts are not what makes us important to Jesus. But after the initial disappointment we can experience the relief that we can run to his loving arms at anytime without having to earn the privilege. We may indeed come to Jesus in need of healing, for ourselves or others. But the children remind us there is something even better than any of the blessings we desire in the one who gives those blessings, something worth seeking even when our lives seem good and there are no pressing problems. Our own attitudes tend to put us at risk of complacency in good times. If we learn to follow these children we can learn to desire the embrace of Jesus above any of the alternatives our lives offer.

Children were not esteemed in Jesus's own time. The romanticism surrounding childhood was a later and specifically Christian phenomenon. In a society that valued strength and pride and wisdom children could not compete. If we feel like we ourselves can't compete, like we have very little to offer to the world, we need not fear or be ashamed. Jesus is ready to welcome us too.

After he placed his hands on them, he went away.

In order to come to Jesus like children we must cast aside our idols. We must put away the strange gods that are among us. These are the very gods that demand that we work to earn our value but never actually recognize any value in us. They always promise, 'Just a little bit more, and then you'll be worthy of love.' But they only ever demand more without giving anything back. Instead of this we can, like children, feel valuable and loved simply because Jesus is willing to welcome us.

I set the LORD ever before me;
    with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.

 

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