"What we can Learn from Children!" (Mark 10:13-16)

We can see from verse 15, that there is something special which is intrinsic in children that teaches us about our approach to God.

There is a gift on offer, and that gift is participation in the Kingdom of God. Like any gift, it has no worth, unless it is received, unwrapped and appreciated (for all that it’s worth)! And it is the example of children that Jesus calls upon, that shows us the manner in which we should receive the gift.

So what is it about young children that we can learn from, if we want to further develop our relationship with God??

First though, let’s do a little background to the text.

The reputation of Jesus as teacher & healer had grown, and many people wanted Jesus to exercise a ministry over their children. It was common for devout Jewish mothers to bring their children to revered religious leaders seeking a blessing. Some of these children may have been ill, weak or disabled, however others would have been in good physical condition. Either way, parents had come to believe that it would be most beneficial if their beloved young ones came into contact with this Jesus.

Jesus would have been very busy in his ministry; there would have been many demands upon his time and strength. The disciples, knowing this, blocked the path of the parents and children, hoping that they could protect Jesus from further energy sapping demands – and because of
this concern for Jesus’ well-being, we should not be too hard on these very committed disciples.

Yet do these disciples represent for us any in today’s society those who do not take the importance and needs of children seriously enough. These would rank all the way from not caring enough to listen to them, to the parents who are not prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to guard the interests of the ones they brought into this complex world, through to the evil predators of children’s innocence. The moral and spiritual health of a society can be assessed through how we treat the most vulnerable and powerless – the elderly, the unwell, the disadvantaged, and the children.

Thus Jesus was “indignant” (meaning he was offended and very displeased, even angry) at what he considered to be some sort of injustice; because parents just wanted to bring their children into the close presence of Jesus, the most simple yet important act, and here were others, supposedly wise people, who were getting in the way. This reminds us of the harsh judgement depicted as a huge great heavy “stone” around the neck of those who would hurt a vulnerable child of God.

Let us never get in the way of anyone (especially a child) experiencing Jesus! Let us not get in their way or hold them back or push them away, for they are too important to God! Indeed, these children, each one, were incredibly valuable to Jesus. He wanted to “touch” every one of them - blessing their futures.

With each new child, there is an opportunity of a better world! Children should be fully appreciated. They need to be shown warm acceptance and loving consideration; given wise training and a place to belong. Their readiness to obey your instruction is dependent upon their perception of your unconditional love for them.

Some hints for nurturing children:

1. Establishing your home and family life in the context of a thorough knowledge and appreciation of the presence of God; the culture of your home will be first and foremost God honoring. You live and breathe and talk the wonder and beauty of God in your home; and when your children ask you questions about the faith, you answer them; and the more consistent your lifestyle is to your faith – then the more sense your testimony will make – and the more benefit it will have!

2. Study, learn and appreciate your child’s particular (God given) personality and interests (more so impressing the parent’s own agenda on them). Every different child has to be individually discovered and a process of getting to know them embraced.

3. Pray for them constantly. Always be encouraging and develop patience.

4. All attempts at correction will come out of an attitude of love and concern for the child’s future well-being. Any removal of privileges or physical repercussions will only be applied so children will learn. Punishment only for punishment’s sake achieves nothing – the motivation behind the application of discipline must always be toward rehabilitation … love seeking change for the better. Discipline should never be applied out of feelings of anger, nor because the parent is feeling personally out-of-control or frustrated, nor because the child is embarrassing them; but rather out of a clear-headed assessment of the need to correct and teach – for the benefit of the child!

Returning to our text, Jesus actually did more than had been asked of him (which was simply to “touch” the children); Jesus warmly and enthusiastically encouraged them to his side, took them up into his arms, spent time with them, shared his love for them freely. These children brought Jesus joy!

This incident was also going to afford Jesus the opportunity of teaching something really crucial … to be heard and understood by all those (then & now) who have the ear to hear. When Jesus begins “Truly I tell you” (v.15), you know there is something really significant coming!

Within these children we can see the image of the God who created them! Purity, unrestrained enthusiasm & hearts seeking love!! These children before Jesus provide an example of what we need to be like to fully participate in God’s Kingdom as adults. When all the complexity of adolescence and adulthood impacts us, we need to recapture some of the characteristics of a child, if we are to effectively respond to God’s invitation into His Kingdom.

What are some of these characteristics/attributes/qualities that we can learn from in children (especially in the youngest of children)???

· their innocence (still untainted/unspoiled/unaffected by any darkness/evil in the world); adults tend to have made all sorts of unhealthy decisions, and taken various wrong turns, and hurt others along the way – and carry degrees of guilt and shame as a result

· their freedom (spontaneity, excitement, enthusiasm, energy, being full of life); adults can easily become over-stretched, stressed, worn-down, or tied up tight in knots with all the complications of life

· being uncluttered (empty-handed, even uncomplicated); adults can be weighed down by possessions or desiring certain things, or overwhelmed with ambition, or focussed on status, or be weighed down with pride – generally carrying so much unhelpful baggage

· their dependence (or interdependence) on others – with no feelings of self-sufficiency; adults tend to try to be independent, do their own thing, run their own race, make the decisions that suit them, rely on their own abilities, be accountable to as few people as possible, enjoy privileges … but try to limit responsibility, pursue relationships on their own terms

· their [simple, uncomplicated] trust – unfortunately many adults have been so disappointed in relationships, or used and abused by other people, that their capacity to trust has been severely short-circuited. It must be remembered however, that it was certain people, not God, who were responsible for these tragedies (God has actually been entering into the suffering of these victims – with a view to comforting and healing them)

· their openness to learn (inquisitiveness, receptivity); adults can being closed off to new insight, thinking that they know it all, hate to even contemplate being proved wrong, or that they might have missed something.

In the same way that these particular children were blessed by Jesus some 2000 years ago, we can all experience the “touch” of Jesus … his presence and love in our lives. Jesus will respond to all those who seek him with the level of dependence, trust, and openness demonstrated by children – that in turn leads to a desire for forgiveness, freedom, and unclutteredness, that allows for participation in the Kingdom of God.