"And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them and said, 'Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'" Jesus, in Matthew 18:2-4
Walking around my house is a little bit like walking through a minefield. You never know when my little girl has left some small surprise in the strangest of places, often right in the spot you want to walk. She may take great joy in pulling all the pegs out of her peg board and jumping on them with her bare feet, but I can tell you that my much older feet don't appreciate such surprises, especially when it's dark in the house.
Yet, one thing I have seen in my little girl is the simple joy that she has when doing things, like playing with her pegs. She wants to feel and sense the world around her, and therefore, she pulls all the pegs off the board and walks on them. She jumps up and down on them in joy, laughing the whole time. And more than once, my wife and I have simply marveled at the joy of life that she shows us time and time again.
As adults, life can easily become dreary. We get used to demands and pressures, and so we lose the joy of the life that God has given to us. And then, one of the sad things that can happen is that we start to look at those younger than us, and instead of seeing people "trying on" life to see what works, we see "those darn kids." We see them getting into trouble, and we wonder what they are thinking. We see them make a mess, and we focus on the mess rather than on the world of discovery that they are seeing through awe-filled eyes.
But even all of this isn't necessarily the point Jesus made in the story referenced above. In the day and age and culture of the time of Jesus, children were not "valued" as people value children in our day and age. A child didn't really "become" anyone of significance until they were grown. While still children of God's promise, until they reached adulthood, they just simply were not "anybody".
So when Jesus told His disciples that the one who humbles himself like a child would be greatest in the kingdom of heaven, He was speaking of one who would make himself nothing in the eyes of the world. He would become like a child, a person with no authority, no social standing, no voice. In becoming humble in such a way, that person would do what was best for others regardless of how others looked upon him.
Jesus Himself was the one who became like this. Jesus humbled Himself to be one who had no voice, no authority, no social standing. He became our sin, all to serve us quietly and humbly. And for that reason, He is now the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, because of what He has done for us.
So the next time you catch yourself looking at what "those darn kids" are doing, just remember, Jesus came to be like them, so that you could become someone in the kingdom of heaven. And as you remember that, maybe it's a good idea to go and see if you can become a little more childlike, especially in relating to "those darn kids."
Walking around my house is a little bit like walking through a minefield. You never know when my little girl has left some small surprise in the strangest of places, often right in the spot you want to walk. She may take great joy in pulling all the pegs out of her peg board and jumping on them with her bare feet, but I can tell you that my much older feet don't appreciate such surprises, especially when it's dark in the house.
Yet, one thing I have seen in my little girl is the simple joy that she has when doing things, like playing with her pegs. She wants to feel and sense the world around her, and therefore, she pulls all the pegs off the board and walks on them. She jumps up and down on them in joy, laughing the whole time. And more than once, my wife and I have simply marveled at the joy of life that she shows us time and time again.
As adults, life can easily become dreary. We get used to demands and pressures, and so we lose the joy of the life that God has given to us. And then, one of the sad things that can happen is that we start to look at those younger than us, and instead of seeing people "trying on" life to see what works, we see "those darn kids." We see them getting into trouble, and we wonder what they are thinking. We see them make a mess, and we focus on the mess rather than on the world of discovery that they are seeing through awe-filled eyes.
But even all of this isn't necessarily the point Jesus made in the story referenced above. In the day and age and culture of the time of Jesus, children were not "valued" as people value children in our day and age. A child didn't really "become" anyone of significance until they were grown. While still children of God's promise, until they reached adulthood, they just simply were not "anybody".
So when Jesus told His disciples that the one who humbles himself like a child would be greatest in the kingdom of heaven, He was speaking of one who would make himself nothing in the eyes of the world. He would become like a child, a person with no authority, no social standing, no voice. In becoming humble in such a way, that person would do what was best for others regardless of how others looked upon him.
Jesus Himself was the one who became like this. Jesus humbled Himself to be one who had no voice, no authority, no social standing. He became our sin, all to serve us quietly and humbly. And for that reason, He is now the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, because of what He has done for us.
So the next time you catch yourself looking at what "those darn kids" are doing, just remember, Jesus came to be like them, so that you could become someone in the kingdom of heaven. And as you remember that, maybe it's a good idea to go and see if you can become a little more childlike, especially in relating to "those darn kids."
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