#DailyDevotion Become Like A Little Kid To Be Saved?

Mark 10:13-16

¹³Some people brought little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples sternly told them not to do it.¹⁴But when Jesus saw this, He became angry. “Let the little children come to Me,” He told them. “Don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to such as these. ¹⁵I tell you the truth, if you don’t receive God’s kingdom like a little child, you will not get into it.” ¹⁶He took them in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

Believe it or not the world didn’t always like or admire little kids. Certainly at the time of Jesus in the Roman world they were merely a commodity. A Roman father if he thought there was something wrong with his newborn would put it out, exposed to the elements. It could be for something as little as being a girl. Even among the Jews their status was that of a slave despite passages from Psalms 127 and 128. It was basically Jesus who turned this around with passages like this. It also took about two thousand years for our view of children to change. Yet, I am afraid we have even perverted what Jesus had given us here.

So what is going on here? People were bringing little children to Jesus so he could touch them, mostly likely to have him bless them. His disciples tried to prevent them which made Jesus very angry. Jesus tells them to let the little children come to him. Little children were worth Jesus’ time and effort.

Now Jesus says something which people often get confused about the meaning. The kingdom of God belongs to such as these. If you don’t receive the kingdom of God like a little child your won’t get into it. Now people have perverted this saying into things like, “little children are so innocent and pure” or “little children have so much faith.” Sure, kids are innocent to a point, it’s more like ignorant of the evils of the world. Sure, kids do tend to believe everything you tell them, particularly if they look up to you. But that is not what Jesus is getting at here. Remember the view of kids put forth in the first paragraph? What characteristic about kids, little kids is Jesus’ point of comparison? Little kids got nothing. They are nothing. They have nothing to offer. They are weak and helpless.

Paul says something similar in 1 Cor. 1, “²⁶You see what happened, fellow Christians, when God called you. Not many of you are wise as the world judges, not many in positions of power, not many born of noble parents. ²⁷No, God chose the foolish things in the world to make wise men ashamed. God chose the weak things in the world to make strong men ashamed. ²⁸God chose the lowly things in the world, what it despises, what is nothing, to make what is something nothing ²⁹and to keep anyone from bragging before God.”

Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking we need to value kids because of their great attributes. We value them because they are gifts from God. Let us though recognize how we need to be like them before God, helpless and needy so we may receive from Christ Jesus his blessing and salvation freely by his grace and enter into the kingdom of God.

Heavenly Father, help us to realize our need so we may rightly receive your kingdom like little children who have nothing to offer you but our thanks and praise. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.