Luke 18:15-17… 15) People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. 16) But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17) Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (NIV)

During the time of Christ, it was the custom for mothers to bring their children to an important preacher early in the life of the child so that they would receive the blessing of the pastor. This is what mothers wanted Jesus to do for their children. Like mom and dad do today when they dedicate or consecrate their children to the Lord. No doubt this is what these mothers wanted from Jesus in the gospel story found in Luke 18:15 (NIV) The disciples thought Jesus already had a busy schedule; surely, He could do without the mothers bringing their children to him. The disciples thought that Jesus was weary, He was overworked. He was worn out. He should not be bothered by the noise of little children running about. Often at home we may say to a little child, “do not bother mommy or daddy, we are tired and have other things on our mind.” The disciples felt the same way because they themselves were tired. But what did Jesus say in Luke 18: 16-17 (NIV)

Sounds strange doesn’t it? To become like a little child before we can enter heaven; I am not sure I understand! I need to have a closer look at the story. Little children came to Jesus without pretence, no fear. They had complete faith that He would receive them and treat them kindly. They had not lost their sense of wonder. They marvel at the beauty of a ladybug in their hand. They enjoy the aftermath of the worst blizzard.

When we were young, did we ever doubt where the next meal was going to come from or if we would have clothes to wear? If we ever went away with our parents, we believed they knew where they were going and that they would find their way back home again. Our trust in our parents was absolute… our trust in Christ should be just as certain as a child’s trust in their parents. They are not like us older folks who live in a world which has grown old and tired. They live in a world that has a sort of afterglow and where God is always near at hand.

There are times when children disobey their parents, they will whimper, they will complain… but their instinct is to obey. They know very well that they should obey and they are not happy when they disobey. There are times when parents are unjust to their children; I know that has been true of me. We demand from them a standard of obedience, of good manners and gracious speech; something which we adults seldom do ourselves. They are aware that the words of mom and dad should be obeyed. But even when parents go over the deep end, the child has an amazing capacity to forgive and to forget. Repeatedly we scold them for doing the very things we do ourselves. If others treated us in the way we treat our children concerning plain justice, we would never forgive. But the child forgives and forgets and does not even realize it when they are young. It would be a much better world if we would forgive and forget as a child does.

In our lesson this month Jesus reminds us that we must have a childlike spirit to enter heaven. We must become as a little child. In other words, we must be willing to forgive and to forget, that after all is a childlike spirit. When we live only for ourselves, we sin. When we shut our ears to the voice of God as it is written in the Scripture, we fail to practice the love and mercy taught by Jesus in the Bible. But on the other hand, salvation, the way to heaven comes to us when we put a childlike trust in Jesus Christ. When we tell others with our own mouth that Jesus Christ is our Lord and believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. By believing in our heart we become right with God, when we tell others with our mouth about our faith in Christ… that brings confirmation to our faith.

Would you pray this prayer with me… “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I want my life to change. My thoughts and my attitude need to change. I do not have peace in my heart, I really want that peace, joy, and happiness that I long for. Please let the Holy Spirit help me be the kind of Christian that will bring honour to Your Name.” Amen