"Entrance into the Kingdom of God"

9.30am Sunday 28 June 2009

Readings: Mark 10:13-16; Genesis 18:16-19 TNIV

As the passage we read from Mark's Gospel is one of the ones suggested for use on Support Sunday, we will look at it this morning instead of in a few weeks time. It is a passage very familiar to us, and nearly always used when we have an Act of Thanksgiving or baptism for a small child. It provides a beautiful picture of the importance of children in God's eyes, because in the earthly life of Jesus we see revealed the heart of our heavenly Father.

Before looking more closely at these verses, it is helpful to remember where this comes in Mark's account of the life of Jesus. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem for the final showdown with the Jewish religious leaders. With the end very near, Jesus has set aside quality time for his disciples to prepare them for his death, and for what will follow. There are still occasions when he ministers to the crowds and needy people, but that is not his main priority now. In the passage we looked at last week Jesus instructed his disciples about true ambition. To emphasise his point, he took a little child in his arms to show his disciples who is truly significant in the kingdom of heaven; that true greatness is found not in seeking positions of power or striving for success, but in humbly welcoming and serving those whom the child represented - the marginalised and vulnerable members of society.

A few verses later Jesus refers to children again when he warns against causing one of these who believe in him to go astray, which we will look at more closely in a couple of weeks. In between that warning and the passage we are looking at this morning, Jesus addresses a question put to him by some Pharisees about divorce. It is significant that we find this subject sandwiched between two passages that have reference to children, which could indicate that Jesus is aware of the trauma divorce causes not only for the abandoned partner, but also for children who for the most part are innocent victims and perhaps suffer most when a marriage disintegrates.

Thinking of the passage read to us this morning about people bringing their little children to Jesus and also that which we looked at last Sunday about welcoming little children, it is appropriate to reflect for a moment on the place of children in our homes. Henri Nouwen in his book Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life[1] has some helpful insights on this subject that are worth sharing. He refers to these when he is talking about the second movement of the spiritual life, that from hostility to hospitality. Nouwen says in our world full of strangers, society seems to be increasingly full of fearful, defensive, aggressive people anxiously clinging to their property and inclined to look at their surrounding world with suspicion, always expecting an enemy to appear, intrude and to harm. The task of God's people is to provide a hospitable place where life can be lived without fear, where community can be found and brotherhood and sisterhood can be formed and fully experienced.

Hospitality is an important Christian responsibility. "Practice hospitality,"[2] is Paul's injunction to believers. The Book of Hebrews says, "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers..."[3] and goes on to talk about entertaining angels unawares. Peter in his first letter says we are to "Offer hospitality without grumbling."[4] In the passage we will look at next week from Mark, Jesus says, "...anyone who gives a cup of water in my name ... will certainly be rewarded."[5]

Nouwen goes on to give examples of 'forms of hospitality' and has a section on 'Parents and Children.' He says, "It may sound strange to speak of the relationship between parents and children in terms of hospitality." However, in light of the Bible's teaching concerning children, it is clear that "children are not properties to own and rule over, but gifts to cherish and care for." In terms of hospitality, they "are our most important guests, who enter into our home, ask for careful attention, stay a while and then leave to follow their own way." When a child is born he or she joins the family circle as a "stranger" at first, someone whom the parents and other siblings "have to get to know." Every child is unique and special. No two children are the same, even with identical twins. They have their own personality, temperament, abilities, giftings, and "capacities for good and evil." They are different from their parents, and are a continual source of amazement as they grow and develop into their own person. In reflecting on this Nouwen says, "Children carry a promise with them, a hidden treasure that has to be led into the open through education in a hospitable home." The basic meaning of the word 'educate' is to 'lead out,' not just formal education as we know it. He says, "It takes time and patience to make the little stranger feel at home, and it is realistic to say that parents have to learn to love their children." It is not automatic that parents do this. It is as the relationship between child and parent grows and deepens that both learn to love and respect each other. Nouwen says that what parents offer is a home, "a place that is receptive but also has safe boundaries within which their children can develop and discover what is helpful and what is harmful. ...where they can ask questions without fear and can experiment with life without the risk of rejection." The parents role is to help their child discover their true self, and encourage them to step out and make their own way in life.

He says that the awareness that children are guests in our homes can be liberating, as many parents suffer deep guilt feelings toward their children, thinking they are responsible for everything they do. When a child goes off the rails they wonder, what did we do wrong, or, where did we fail. Nouwen says, "Parents need to realise that children are not properties we can control as a puppeteer controls his puppets, or train as a lion tamer trains lions. They are guests we have to respond to, not possessions we are responsible for."

One of the values of bringing your child for baptism or an Act of Thanksgiving is the reminder that your child is not your own private property but "a gift of God given to a community that is much larger than the immediate family." You may think that the responsibility for your child rests solely on you if you are the child's biological parent because that is what our culture assumes, but being part of a church family such as this carries with it the reminder that that is not the case. The fact that there are vows the congregation take at such services means that there are others who have promised to share the load, and help provide a space where your child can grow to maturity without fear. There is always the temptation for parents to cling on to their children, maybe use them for their own unfulfilled needs, and suggest either directly or indirectly that they owe them. But when we keep in mind that they are guests in our homes, who have their own destination in life, which we cannot know or dictate, it is so much easier to let them go in peace and with our blessing. Nouwen says, "A good host is not only able to receive his (or her) guests with honour and offer them all the care they need but also to let them go when their time to leave has come."

Let us turn our attention to the passage we read from Mark's Gospel this morning. Jesus is making an important statement that is just as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago. He is enunciating what life is like in God's kingdom, and one can imagine people raising their eyebrows with surprise as they listen to him speak. What he taught was radically different to anything they had heard before, as he turned the values of his day on their head. This brief incident is loaded with lessons we need to take to heart not only about children, and also about priorities in God's kingdom.

It begins with people bringing little children to Jesus. We are not told who these people are, and neither Matthew nor Luke in their accounts of this event throws any light on the matter, apart from the fact that Luke describes the children as "babies." In that case it may well have been their mothers that came. It was a common practice in Jesus' day for parents to seek a blessing on their children from a great and distinguished rabbi, as their teachers were called. The rabbi would place his hands on the child and pronounce a blessing on them the same as God gave Moses for Aaron and his sons to use to bless the people of Israel.[6] Then we have this "but" in Mark as the disciples intervene and act like 'bouncers' and start to shoo the people away. We are not told why they objected to the people bringing their children to Jesus. Maybe they thought Jesus had enough on his plate with what lay ahead of him in Jerusalem, without his concerning himself with those who were of little significance in their eyes. They may have thought it beneath his dignity and that he had better things to do with his time. However, this incident speaks volumes about the importance of children, for the moment Jesus becomes aware of what his disciples were doing his response is immediate. Mark is the only Gospel writer to tell us that Jesus "was indignant" at what was happening. The word Mark uses means Jesus was grieved and vexed and deeply upset by his disciples' actions. It is the same word that we find later in this chapter when the other disciples learn about what James and John did in asking for the places of honour in his glory.[7] They were incensed about their actions although, unlike Jesus, their indignation had a selfish motive behind it, as all of them had ambitions to stake a claim to those places. The same word is used of the chief priests the teachers of the law when they heard the children shouting in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David."[8] It upset them immensely as it was tantamount to calling Jesus the 'Messiah,' which to them would have been blasphemous. 'Grieved,' 'pained,' 'vexed,' 'angry,' indignant' all pick up the sense of Jesus' reaction at this time.

What Jesus said at that moment has enormous implications for ministry to both parents and children. You can definitely say that Jesus was 'Kidz Friendly.' He made time in his busy schedule for these little ones. He did not mind being interrupted by these people with their children. He probably welcomed this interruption after his debate with the Pharisees about divorce. These little ones "belong" to the kingdom, and his words show that they have a special place in God's heart. This incident also has implications for parents. It shows that Jesus has time to listen to the requests you make on your child's behalf. He has your full attention when you do this. You can bring them to him with confidence that you will get a compassionate and understanding hearing, and that he will bless them when you ask him to. Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."[9] Little children are part of God's kingdom, as are all who are like them - the weak, the vulnerable, the marginalised, the insignificant, the powerless, those on the fringes of the church's and society's life. Jesus said, "do not hinder them." That is, do not stand in the way of their coming to Jesus, but encourage and help them all you can. This is why the time you spend with your children and with those that Jesus says they represent helping them to know Jesus and to understand the Bible, and the work others do along these lines such as the teachers in Children's Church or in Youth and adult groups is so important - assisting them to know they are welcome in God's family, and that in fact they have a right to be there.

Jesus' words not only have important implications for parents and those represented by the little children, they also teach you how we can become part of God's kingdom, too. There are four things you need to take note of in what Jesus goes on to say. First, when Jesus introduces his next statement with the words, "Truly I tell you," he is in effect saying, "What I am about to say is of utmost importance. It is something you need to sit up and take notice of." The word for "truly" is the Greek word "amen." It means 'in truth,' 'verily,' 'most certainly.' It is the same word that is used of Jesus himself in Revelation 3:14 where it says: "These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation." Note the capital letter, and what follows gives its meaning. Jesus is "...the faithful and true witness..." Used here in Mark it means that the statement that follows is completely trustworthy. This is as reliable as you can possibly get. You can stake your life on his words.

The second thing you need to note is the word "anyone". "Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." The kingdom of God is not an exclusive club in the sense that only the select few can belong. There is one condition, which we will look at in a moment, but God's invitation is open to all. "Anyone" means exactly what it says, 'anyone.' Your hair does not need to be a certain colour. You don't have to belong to a certain nation, or social class, or be able to afford it. To use older language, "whosoever will may come."

Thirdly, Jesus says that the kingdom of God is something you "receive." You cannot buy it, earn it, deserve it, achieve it or make it. You can only accept it. It is a gift. And note how we are to receive it, "like a little child." There is a lowliness, simplicity and uncomplicatedness about little children that show us how we can belong to God's kingdom. Children have implicit and unconditional trust, unless for some reason that trust has been abused. Jesus is saying that God's reign can only be received by those who are utterly dependent on God, just as small children are on their parents. The word "receive" can be translated "welcome" as it is in the passage we looked at last Sunday where Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes one of these little ones in my name welcomes me..."[10] To welcome someone is to receive them kindly. We could therefore translate verse 15 of Mark 10: "Truly I tell you, anyone who will not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." This is the main point in this passage; not the humility of children, but their implicit trust., for this is how to belong to God's kingdom.

And lastly, note the word "never" at the end. There is only one way to come to God, and that is to come humbly, acknowledging that you fall far short of his glory, that there is nothing you can do to make yourself right with him, and submit to his reign and rule in your life. There is no other way. You must not let your pride get in the way. It will be a stumbling block to you if you do. Salvation is a free gift that waits for you to claim it for your own. Put positively Jesus is saying, "Truly I tell you, anyone who will receive the kingdom of God like a little child will enter it." Will you receive and welcome your King into your life today?