LITTLE CHILDREN & THE KINGDOM
"Let the children come to me for of such is the kingdom of heaven." That's what He said. He said this too, "If you don't become like little children you won't enter the kingdom."
And what's that all about?
He's probably talking about their disposition and saying we're to be like them--little children are so sweet-spirited.
Oh. Are they? I've known plenty of them down the years and "sweet-spirited" isn't how I would describe them and I've come across hundreds (at least hundreds) who have complained that their toddlers were "bratty". I'm not interested in placing "blame" anywhere; I just wonder if sweet-spiritedness is what Jesus had in mind. But, then, maybe little children in Jesus's day and part of the world were never bratty. On the other hand I think I remember him likening his adult generation to squabbling kids and I know I remember him telling of a young visitor to the pig-pen who was definitely bratty. "Give me...!" he said.
Maybe it was the simplicity of their thinking that Jesus had in mind. They're so easily influenced and they'll pretty much believe anything an adult tells them. Maybe that's it; but then again I hear Paul urging the Corinthians to quit being children and grow up! I'm sure that's what W.M. Clow had in mind when he said that the faith of a child is good but God has something better for us--the faith of a grown up; a faith that's able to face the world as it really is and with good reason to be convinced that it can be and will be better in a coming day no matter how it looks or is right now.
When I think of children and for a while watch my great-grandchildren enjoying life my mind always drifts finally to GK Chesterton who claimed that the trouble with the world is that we have grown old and God has stayed young, like a child. I think he's right--that's a major part of our problem. Of coure I've met many people who learned to grow up without growing old. They're a lovely sight to behold.
I'm not at all sure what Jesus had in mind so I suppose it's all right for me to pick and choose qualities in young children "at their best" and contextualize the qualities where they'd best promote the reign of God. But I prefer to think that Jesus had something other than their inner qualities in mind. I prefer to think he was thinking of their social and life situation.
Peter tells husbands to view their wives as the "weaker vessel" and to act as a lover should in light of that. I know Peter didn't mean the wives were intellectually, emotionally, religiously or morally inferior to men--that'd be nonsense. I'm certain too that he isn't speaking of physical strength. What would have to do with anything? I'm content to believe that he was speaking of their vulnerability in a society and culture that in so many ways denied them fair treatment. However we are to phrase that we know what Peter did not mean--he was saying nothing about the woman's inner and personal status as a human or as a Christian!
I suppose we've all heard of "self-made" men and women. But there's no such thing! The atheist Daniel Dennett likes to remind people that he's an autodidact [self-taught]--he likes to think he is but there's no such thing. We've all heard of people who are truly "independent"--yeah right!!
Who wants to grovel and crawl all his or her life? No one with a healthy mind would. God doesn't want us to do it. [Christ from the cross would look at some of us and ask, "Do I look like I want you to grovel and crawl for forgiveness and life?"] No, groveling and crawling is not what we've been made for but only fools think they're gods.
A fierce young man careered all over the holy land beating the blood out of believers in Jesus Christ. This student of Gamaliel defied his teacher who advised Jewish leadership to let the Christian movement run its course and Saul went after his own people, tormenting and executing them in an effort to purge the land of this lying Story. [You think ISIS is doing anything Paul didn't do?]
Then the risen Lord met him and before he knew it the vicious persecutor became like a child. "What do you want me to do?" he asked. He had to be led by the hand, he had to be taken to a house he didn't know, he had to be given instructions, he had to confess his sin and be baptized and was grateful to accept as a gift forgiveness for his sin, he had to depend on people he had no acquaintance with, he had to be introduced by a stranger into the fellowship of the believers. The one who was a searing human flame was now utterly dependent, he was a child again--born of the water and the [S]pirit, led around by the hand, protected and finally given warmth and fellowship.
And then he became a different kind of flame!
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