Then people brought little
children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the
disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let
the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of
heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went
on from there. Matthew 19:13-14
The
disciples viewed children as a distraction and possibly even an annoyance, but
Jesus surprised them by welcoming them to Him.
He placed His hands upon them and blessed them. It’s the innocence of a
child, their ability to trust without hesitation that leads Christ to use them
as a living example. That is what the
Lord is trying to teach the disciples both here and in the beginning of chapter
18 (see Matthew 18:1-5 at bottom). It’s
the faith, trust and humility of a child that God seeks from us.
We spend
our lives accumulating knowledge; however, having knowledge doesn’t necessarily
mean we have intelligence. The more we think we know the more we rely on our
own limited resources rather then trusting in the living God. It is only when
we compare ourselves to the One who knows all things that we realize we truly know
nothing of any value. It’s as Solomon
proclaims in Ecclesiastes 1:2, “Everything
is meaningless … completely meaningless.” * We can only find meaning in God thru His word and a deep, personal
association with Him via the Holy Spirit.
We must come
to the Lord with a humble, childlike spirit and seek to learn those things that
are of eternal importance. It takes childlike faith and trust to move into the
spiritual realms the Lord calls us into.
Trust in God as a child and live out your life in humble servitude to He
who created the sun, the moon and the stars.
Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
Resources:
The Reformation Study Bible; The Asbury Bible Commentary.
* The New Living
Translation; Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc.; 2006.
At that time
the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among
them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little
children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes
the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And
whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Matthew 18:1-5
