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13 Then
little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and
pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
Do you welcome , no, more than that , do you go out of your way to bring people to Jesus or do you wish they would go away so that you can get some deep teaching or rich worship or a quiet life?
This story is about children but it could apply to anyone we think does not fit in our middle-class social group. We are uncomfortable with strangers but Jesus calls us when we were strangers, aliens and he invited us into his kingdom, dying on the cross in our place when we were his enemies. You cannot be part of this kingdom and exclude anyone who is seeking to be blessed by Jesus.
Traditionally it was the ‘mothers of Salem’ that brought their children but I find no evidence that it was the women. You see, we like to be sexist to the point where we put into the Bible what is not there. The Bible says ‘they’ so we assume women. Why? Because we still carry the Jewish concept in our minds that woman and children can be lumped together.
The Bible has none of that. The responsibility of the spiritual development of children is the parents both mother and father.
They brought the children. Luke goes further and uses a word that describes new-born or even unborn children. These people had a clear view that from the earliest age, Jesus was able to bless their children. Tell me, when you hear that someone is expecting, do you bring the unborn child to Jesus? Is the children’s work and youth work a way of occupying the children while we get our weekly dose of worship and teaching or is in your mind the worship and teaching that is happening out the back as important to the church as the worship and teaching you get in here?
The disciples got it wrong. Tell me are you a disciple? Or do you think that somehow you are not like them? They were followers of Jesus. Literally, they walked and talked with him every day. They understood that he as their rabbi, had vital things to say to them. They were so important that two of the disciples, in later years recorded them - Matthew and John. Mark we think was around and saw some of it himself and Luke did a lot of careful research among eyewitnesses to get the facts and words accurate. It was important to the disciples that they listened to memorised the words of Jesus. So parents constantly interrupting what Jesus said to ask for prayer for their child was simply annoying. And so they told them to go away and come back on Wednesday at 6:30 but not to interrupt now.
Tell me, is your first reaction to children running round the church to want them to be blessed by the master or sit quietly and keep out of the way?
But we must understand that getting it wrong led to increased understanding. There has been an attitude in the church that better to do nothing than get it wrong. The disciples were active. They needed direction and Jesus gives them direction. If you are not moving you cannot be going in the right direction. But get moving and you can get it wrong. But you can also get it right and make progress. Don’t stand still. Be active. Make mistakes but listen to the correction that the master gives.
This morning, I want to underline that we welcome every one in the name of the Lord. In particular parents with children. And we believe that every person of whatever age should be part of the worshipping community here. That is why we begin our worshipping together be all being together. That has consequences in the way that our worshipping together happens but we believe that everyone, even the unborn should be welcomed because Jesus welcomes you.
Matthew is more specific than the others. He noticed that they wanted him to put his hand on their children and pray.
Touch is deeply significant. Today, we have gone overboard to avoid it. In all previous cultures, you greet another by touching them. A kiss, a hug, a handshake. Now days they are signs of intimacy not friendship. They were always formalised in some way so that the right and proper constraints are there but all the same physical contact. And the parents wanted that physical contact with Jesus. The hand that heals is also a hand of blessing. I have a lot of sympathy with those who long to have been there to be able to see and hear and be touched by the master’s hand. And yet Jesus told Thomas that those of us who have not been able to see and touch are blessed. See John 21:29
But do you desire the touch of the master’s hand this morning? I do. I long for the day when we shall see him face to face and will be able to touch and feel and hear and smell the presence of our Saviour and King for all eternity.
For now I desire the presence of his Holy Spirit – the deposit for that day. To know the fullness of the Spirit today is heaven itself. Are you praying for the master’s touch today?
And pray. They wanted Jesus to pray for their child.
They believed that he, being a Rabbi, had special connection with God. Little did they realise they were asking the beloved Son to speak to his Father on their children’s behalf.
Stop just there. Jesus is praying for you right now. The Lord of glory knows your deep spiritual needs, your pain, your resistance to his will, because Jesus is eve interceding for you. These parents simply asked for what we now know Jesus was going to spend the rest of time doing. Praying for you. Trust him. Talk to him. He has the ear of the Father in heaven. You can rely on him to have your best interests up front in his conversation with the Father. Be like these parents, offer yourselves and your children that he might bless them.
Now we come to the core of this passage. The words of Jesus.
"Let the little children come to me, and
do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
There are three phrases here, two are commands, the third is the teaching. That sort of fits. The emphasis on on what you do not on knowledge.
"Let the
little children come to me,
and do not
hinder them,
This is the God who likes to say Yes.
It is rubbish to say that Christianity is about a load of ‘no’s and ‘can’t’s . Jesus invites all to have abundant life. He says yes to all who come in repentance and faith. He says yes to sinners; yes to rejects; yes to the lost generation; yes to children; yes to joy; yes to peace; yes to eternal life. And to make that possible Jesus came and offered himself. He said ‘yes’ to making your salvation possible.
And we must constantly check ourselves that we imitate him. His command here is simple. First ‘allow’ second ‘do not hinder’ First you must recognise that every child of whatever age should be offered life. Secondly you must not hinder them getting it. Jesus accused the Pharisees of that
So are you positively encouraging your friends, relations, fellow workers, the children, the young people, the ‘not our sort of people’ to receive Christ ? Are you making sure you do nothing to hinder them? That is the challenge this morning. To be an imitator of Christ as dearly loved children, we have to say Yes!
for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as
these."
This brief statement is extended in Mark and Luke with further explanation.
15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not
receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."
This was not the first time Jesus had said this sort of thing listen to Matthew 18:1-6
1 At that time the disciples came to
Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a little child to him, and
placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you,
unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the
kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of
this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever
welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Or Matthew 11:25
25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the
wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes,
Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
Or Matthew 21:16
15 But when the chief priests and the teachers
of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the
temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.
16 “Do you hear what these children are
saying?” they asked him.
“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never
read,
“‘From the lips of children and infants
you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”
This is a bombshell to the disciples. Children have just gazumped them! “It’s not fair we have been following you; we have given up our jobs and our homes and now you are saying it the kingdom is for children!”
Jesus told a parable against us thinking that long service and maturity gets us extra credit. It is called the parable of the workers in the vineyard. You can read it in Matthew 20 just over the page. Here is an extract:
8 “When evening came, the owner of the
vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages,
beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were
hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10
So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But
each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it,
they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were
hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to
us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of
them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a
denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was
hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do
what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 “So the last will be
first, and the first will be last.”
You are a well-taught church. You are a welcoming and caring church. We have a deep commitment to children’s work and young people’s work. So what does this say to you church, this morning?
Do not grow weary of well doing. Do not think that we have grown up and can do without children in the church. Be passionate about our mission to win everyone for Christ.
I believe Jesus made a lot about children because children were not considered able to understand or be spiritual because they were not sober and miserable about religion.
We do not make that distinction. If anyone turns from their sin and puts their faith in Jesus, we welcome them as brother or sister in Christ. We baptise believers, not adults, not children. We have no right of passage for teenagers because there is no point known to man where a child comes of age and is judged before God.
Also, we recognise that you don’t have to conform to our middle class behaviour patterns to be welcomed into the kingdom. And you don’t have to be English! In fact, The majority of our Brothers and sisters in Christ are Asian, followed by African and in this city the majority are Afro-Caribbean. We are part of an international fellowship of believers.
We not expect church include children, every ethnic group in our area, every crazy mixed up dysfunctional family type that our society is made up of. The kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
What is the kingdom of heaven or Kingdom of God?
It is the place where the rule of Jesus is obeyed. And what we have read this morning are the rules of the king.
"Let the little children come to me, and do not
hinder them,
The kingdom rules are not obeyed because we have to but because we want because the King is our loved Saviour and Lord and his Spirit empowers us to respond to the Lord of God in Christ Jesus.
So how does a little child receive?
He/she responds to love
He/she trusts
He/she imitates
be imitators of God, as beloved children.(ESV)
2Watch what God does, and then you do it, like
children who learn proper behaviour from their parents. Mostly what God does is
love you.(Message)
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you
are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the
example of Christ.(NLT)
Are you child-like?