#DailyDevotion You Need To Grow Down To Be Saved
Luke 1815Some people brought babies to Jesus to have Him touch them. When the disciples saw them, they sternly told them not to do it. 16But Jesus called the children to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to such as these. 17I tell you the truth, if you don’t receive God’s kingdom like a little child, you will not get into it.”
Well this follows up on the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. As that parable was about humility and dependence on God’s mercy so too this incident teaches us a very similar thing.
It appears the disciples thought Jesus was just too important or too busy to deal with mothers bringing their infants to him to bless them. Mothers doing this apparently was common thing in the day, particularly as they approached a year old. The disciples not only tried to keep them from Jesus they even sternly told them not to do it. Jesus on the other hand had other plans. Like many people today, they thought Jesus only had time for adults and perhaps those boys who had barmitzved.
Jesus however says, “Let the little children come to me and do keep them away.” Well so much for not baptizing infants and so much for the age of accountability. When we baptize people we are bringing them to Jesus and Jesus is joining them to himself. There can be no greater blessing than that. Baptism is the entrance into the kingdom of God. We baptize in Jesus’ name and it is just as if Jesus himself had laid hands on you and baptized you himself. Indeed, he has. (John 4)
Jesus even goes further. He says, “you don’t receive God’s kingdom like a little child, you will not get into it.” Well how does a little child receive the kingdom of God? Humbly. With nothing to offer. With no merit or anything it can claim. It comes come utterly dependent upon the mercy of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
So if you want to enter the kingdom of God you must first grow down, not up! Are you ready to come humbly before the Lord Jesus Christ with nothing to offer him but your sins? Are you prepared to tell him nothing but why you don’t deserve to enter his kingdom? Can you say you have become totally dependent upon the mercy of God the Father shown you in Christ Jesus and nothing else? Then you have grown down enough to enter the kingdom of God like a little child.
Don’t get me wrong, little children are anything but innocent. They will lie as soon as they can speak. They are terribly selfish. But before they can speak the words, “I can do it myself” they are totally dependent upon the good graces and mercy of others. So too do we come before God.
Merciful and Gracious Father, we come to you with nothing in our hands but the merits, the life, death and resurrection of your son Jesus Christ and all your promises. Grant us such humility of spirit that we rely solely on Jesus to enter into your kingdom unto life everlasting. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.