Children and the Church - Mark 10:13-16

Children and the Church

Mark 10:13-16

Introduction: Dr. Haddon Robinson told the story of an apartment fire in Harlem, in New York City. A blind child was trapped by a third story window, that opened to a narrow alley. Flames and smoke intensified, time was short. The rescue workers had difficulty getting a ladder to the window, so they held a net below and called to the child through a bullhorn, urging her to jump. But she stood at the window crying, afraid to jump, despite the pleas of the firefighters below who held the net which she could not see. Then she heard a voice she recognized. Her father had arrived at the scene and a fireman handed him the bullhorn. “It’s daddy, there is a net, we’ll catch you, jump!” Immediately the fear vanished from her face, and she jumped from the window into the rescuers’ net. What had changed? She heard her father’s voice, and she trusted him, completely.

       Children, especially little children, are completely dependent on their parents, they have an almost simplistic devotion to them, they trust them implicitly. Jesus uses this encounter to hold up children as an example of how we must receive the Kingdom of God. This story stands in contrast to the rich, young ruler in the next scene, who asks about the kingdom, but who only with difficulty will enter it!

Context: Jesus has been patiently teaching the disciples about humility, service, and being at peace with one another. In short, He is showing what it means to follow Him. He used a question about divorce to point to God’s design for marriage… a picture of the church in relationship with Jesus, one man, one woman, learning and growing together, as long as they both shall live. And now, as He had done in Mark 9:36,37, He uses a child as an example of the dependency, trust, and devotion that is necessary for those who would enter the Kingdom of God. That brings us to…

The Maine* Idea: The dependent trust and simplicity of devotion of a child illustrates what it means to believe God. Do you believe?

I. The Setting: We need to value children as God does (10:13-14a).

¹³ And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them.  ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant…

       Imagine the scene that Mark describes here for us. The crowds are coming to Jesus, some, perhaps, hoping to see a miracle, some still trying to decide who this man really is, some perhaps hoping for confirmation that He is the Messiah. A few (like the Pharisees) looking for reasons to reject Him as such. As parents would often do with beloved and respected rabbis, many were bringing their children to Jesus, hoping that He would lay a hand on them and speak a blessing over them. Luke mentions in his parallel account of this event (Lk 18:15-17) that some even brought infants. The word “child” [paidion] used by Mark is usually used of a young child, though in a few cases it seems to refer to children from toddlers through elementary age (as in the feeding of the 5,000 [Matt 14:21]). It seems that at issue are the “young children” that are being brought to Jesus for blessing.

       The disciples were rebuking the parents… (13). As a group, it seems, they intercepted the parents, preventing them from bringing these young children to Jesus. You can imagine the context – a growing crowd, people anxious to hear what Jesus would say, there was no time to allow for such distractions!  I remember visiting a very large church down in Charlotte, NC. I knew the pastor of the Hispanic ministry at the church and we followed the senior pastor into the morning worship service. He had two staff members at his side, and they were a kind of “security team.” He needed to be focused on the service that was coming, and there was no time for him to be “distracted” by conversations on the way to the platform. So, if someone approached, one of the staff would intercept them and talk until the senior pastor had passed on his way to his seat near the platform. I don’t mean to say that was not valid, but it is striking to me how Jesus, in contrast, was so approachable – not only to rabbis or the wealthy, but even to children. In this case, maybe pressured or confused by Jesus’ teaching about what would happen in Jerusalem, the disciples sense of urgency led them to “rebuke” [epitimao, “censure, reprimand”] those bringing these children.

      Their action seems surprising considering 9:36,37! There, as Jesus taught about humility and service, we read that He…

…took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them,  ³⁷ "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."

Was this another lesson that didn’t yet “take”? I think by now we are getting the idea of not judging the disciples too quickly. In fact, we are the disciples, and too often we need to be reminded of lessons the Lord has already taught us!

        Jesus was “indignant” = “a state of anger aroused by injustice” (14a). He intervened vigorously, not allowing the disciples to stand in the way of Him blessing these children, and their parents. We’ve seen as we have been going through the Gospel of Mark, that Jesus always had time for people. After all, He came to seek and to save the lost! Whether it was a leader taking Jesus to see his desperately sick daughter, or a woman suffering on the way who touched the hem of His garment, he would engage with the needy, those who knew they needed His help in the midst of their crisis, and He would meet them at the point of their need, and lead them deeper in their knowledge and trust of Him. Let’s be intentionally sensitive to needs around us! The disciples no doubt felt they were looking out for Jesus, keeping him from being overly burdened with unnecessary problems as they sought to keep away the people bringing their children. Jesus seizes the moment to help the disciples reorder their priorities, and to illustrate again what it really means to follow Him. The dependent trust and simplicity of devotion of a child illustrates what it means to believe God. Do you believe?

II. Serving: We need to bring children to Jesus, teaching them the truth (14b,16).

…and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God… ¹⁶ And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

        Considering the righteous indignation that Jesus felt in reacting to the disciples, He is amazingly patient as He corrects them with His teaching. He does not ask “How did you guys forget so quickly? Were you not listening?” No, He simply tells them not to hinder them, to let them come. He began his public ministry preaching the “Gospel of the Kingdom of God” (Mark 1:14,15) and now He perhaps shocks the disciples by saying that these kids are the example or the model of what a kingdom citizen looks like.  Of course, the importance of teaching children the truth about God is foundational in the Scriptures. Following the greatest commandment, the call to love God wholeheartedly, is the call to teach the next generation about Him (Dt 6:5-9)…  

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.   ⁶And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise…  ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Love God, and teach your kids to love God! Many parents would not think of failing to provide the physical needs of their children: food, clothing, shelter, safety.  And yes, kids need school to learn and grow intellectually. Yet many parents don’t embrace the need to teach them diligently about God.  They can make up their own mind about that later. Really? Believing parents are called to teach them. The church comes alongside to help and support what is already being taught in the home.

       Jesus clearly saw the importance of loving children and teaching them the truth about God. He tells the disciples, “Allow the children to come to me, and do not hinder them…” Considering that just a few verses earlier Mark had recorded Jesus’ teaching about receiving a child in His name (9:36,37) one might think this corrective would be unnecessary! The disciples needed repetition, and reminders, as do we.  They wanted to keep the children away and allow Jesus to dedicate himself to what was important. Jesus, on the other hand, wants the disciples to understand how important children were to him, and to let them know that they could learn a few things from them as well!

       For to such belong the kingdom of God… Now note carefully what Jesus is saying here, as it will be reinforced in v.15. He is not saying that only children will be in the Kingdom! He does say “…to such as these…” belong the kingdom. The kingdom is open to those who, like a child, affirm their absolute dependence, who trust Him implicitly, who love Him whole-heartedly. 

      And so, perhaps stunning the disciples, v.16 says, “He took them in His arms and blessed them.” This is a tender scene. Little children blessed and embraced by Jesus. The reformer John Calvin said, “Faith is not a distant view but a warm embrace of Christ.”  We’ve seen Jesus’ love for children, and we need to love them enough to guide them, patiently, consistently, toward knowing Him and trusting Him for themselves. Kids are teachable, open to the truth.

       How many in a typical church service came to Christ before the age of 20? A majority, in some cases maybe 80 or 90 percent! The older we get, the more hardened we can get against the things of God, the more unlikely it is that they will repent and believe. (Don’t give up witnessing to an aged friend or relative, with God all things are possible!). So, it is important for our Children’s Church, our Sunday School, our Word of Life Olympian ministry, our Vacation Bible School, to be “Gospel-Centered” in our teaching always.  We want to point our children to Jesus at every opportunity, to teach them why He came, to show them what it means to follow Him. Here’s another quotation from the Reformer, John Calvin,

He [Christ] is Isaac, the beloved Son of the Father who was offered as a sacrifice, but nevertheless did not succumb to the power of death. He is Jacob the watchful shepherd, who has such great care for the sheep which he guards. He is the good and compassionate brother Joseph, who in his glory was not ashamed to acknowledge his brothers, however lowly and abject their condition. He is the great sacrificer and bishop Melchizedek who has offered an eternal sacrifice once for all. He is the sovereign lawgiver Moses, writing his law on the tables of our hearts by his Spirit. He is the faithful captain and guide Joshua, to lead us to the Promised Land. He is the victorious and noble king David, bringing by his hand all rebellious power to subjection. He is the magnificent and triumphant king Solomon governing his kingdom in peace and prosperity. He is the strong and powerful Samson who by his death has overwhelmed all his enemies.

We want to show that to our children – that the whole Bible is about the Good News, and it all points us to Jesus.  The dependent trust and simplicity of devotion of a child illustrates what it means to believe God. Do you believe?

III. Simplicity: We need to receive Jesus with child-like faith: dependent, trusting, devoted (15).

¹⁵ Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." 

      J. Gresham Machen said, “The more we know of God, the more unreservedly we will trust him; the greater our progress in theology, the simpler and more childlike will be our faith.” Simplicity. Machen was one of the professors who left Princeton Seminary ninety years ago in the face of encroaching liberalism to start Westminster Theological Seminary. He was dedicated to the pursuit of God, to knowing Him intimately. I think he would agree with the German theologian, who, after a lifetime of study was asked about the most profound truth He had learned in his study of theology. He said, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!” Simplicity. How does a child believe their parent? They take them at their word. Daddy says it, mommy says it, it is true. Simple. We are called to believe God like that. It is not that we have to have every mystery of the universe figured out. We listen to Abba, we take Him at His Word. God said it, that settles it!

       Children are dependent on their parents to provide for them, to care for them, to keep them safe. Children depend completely on their parents for everything; food, clothing, shelter, protection. God is a perfect Father, His discipline is always with love, His compassion with sincerity, His instruction, the truth. We need Him for everything as well. We are dependent upon Him for our next breath, for health and strength to work… strength for today, and hope!

       Someone has said that a child is not likely to find a Father in God, unless He finds something of God in His father. It seems that our human family is a grid that helps us understand God’s love for us and our security in Him. Sometimes people who have had an and absentee parent (or worse, an abusive one) find it difficult to believe—or maybe the difficulty is understanding what it means for God to be our loving, heavenly Father.  The truth is, none of us had perfect earthly parents, but God is someone we can trust, always. He is good, all the time, He does all things well, He really will work all things together for our good (Rom 8:28). As a child depends on their parents, as they trust them implicitly, as they are devoted to them whole-heartedly, we must come to God, and cling to Him.

       Children are trusting. I have a picture somewhere of our daughter Sarah when she was maybe two years old, jumping from a deck into my arms in a pool. Absolute trust. I remember she kept on doing it time after time. Until once I wasn’t ready and she experienced total immersion at a young age! Are we convinced, like a child, that God is trustworthy? Like the child in the burning building who heard her father’s voice and leapt to safety, will we cast ourselves into His arms? (Unlike me, He is completely trustworthy!).

       Children, especially little children, are devoted to their parents. Their mother is the most beautiful woman in the world, their father the strongest or the smartest man. Why? The explanation is simple, they love their parents without conditions. A child wants, more than anything, the approval of their parents, they want to please them. Do we have that kind of heart for God? God is worthy of our trust and our devotion, we can depend on Him.

What is God saying to me in this passage? The dependent trust and simplicity of devotion of a child illustrates what it means to believe God. Do you believe?

What would God have me to do in response to this passage? Parents are to take seriously the call to teach their children the truth of God. The church should prioritize coming alongside parents and supporting them in that process. Thankfully we seek to do that in our church—children’s church and Sunday School, Word of Life Olympians, we want to reinforce the teaching parents are giving their kids at home with Gospel-centered teaching of the Word of God. Not just Bible stories with a “moral,” but reminding kids that this is God’s book, and it is all about Jesus. God is holy and just, sin is a problem, but God so loved us He sent Jesus to be our sacrifice and our Savior! He came to seek and to save the lost.

       As we see Jesus taking little children in His arms, we also see His heart for these young lives. Some here have lost children, or siblings, either through sickness or accident, or perhaps through miscarriage, or even abortion. We can surmise that children who die in infancy, or before they are old enough to know right from wrong—the age of accountability—are covered by the grace of God and are safe in the arms of Jesus. You will see them again if your trust is in Christ.

       There is also a second emphasis in these verses, “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” He is not calling us to be childish in our faith, but we should be child-like. Paul rebuked the Corinthians for not growing up, for still being spiritual babes when by then they should be teachers, ready for meat instead of still needing milk. Childish faith? No, that is not what Jesus is calling us to. Child-like faith: dependent, filled with wonder, whole-hearted devotion, implicit trust. “It’s Daddy, jump!” Do we trust Him? Do we love Him with our whole heart, soul, and mind?  Then trust Him and follow Him. Amen.