Day 18: Jesus Thanks The Father
for Revealing Life to the Childlike
13One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. 14When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” 16Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. Mark 10:13-16
Many times during Jesus’ ministry, we find the disciples doing something “wrong;” never more so than in today’s Scripture. As we see parents were bringing their children to Jesus so that He could touch and bless them. The disciples saw this as a “bother” a distraction from Jesus’ “real” ministry. But when Jesus saw what was happening, he became ANGRY—yes, Jesus got angry. In this case the anger was over the disciples’ lack of discernment for what is truly important. Jesus told them that they were not to stop children from coming to Him, because “…the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Once again, Jesus reminds us that the Kingdom belongs to the childlike. He doesn’t specify what that means here, but we can draw at least one reality from the situation, itself: children are defenseless and without power or “clout.” Think of it: the children didn’t even come themselves. They were brought by their parents. They may have been infants or toddlers, but the point is they could not have come on their own. The same is true of each of us when it comes to getting into the Kingdom. We can’t earn our way into the Kingdom through our efforts. We can’t buy our way into the Kingdom with our money. We can’t use any human means to gain access to heaven. What we must do is trust and rely on Jesus, on His blood shed on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and to gain access to heaven for us. Let’s remember today—and everyday—that apart from Jesus none of us will ever gain access to heaven. Thank God for Jesus!
Questions and Comments for Reflection and Action:
Why do you think Jesus got so angry with the disciples?
What do you need to do to be more like a child—more dependent on Jesus?
Thank God for His reminder of our need to rely on Him completely. Take time to yield yourself to Him!