Kids!

“Dad can I have a glass of water please?”

“No, go to sleep.”

“Dad, I’m thirsty, can I have a glass of water please?”

“NO, go to sleep.”

“Daaaad, I’m really thirsty. Can you get me a glass of water please?”

“No, and if you ask once more I’ll spank you”

(Silence)

“Dad, when you come into spank me can you bring a glass of water please?”

Kids, they can be aggravating, funny, nuisances and 50 other words describing how we view them.

We were all kids at some time, I would venture to guess that we all had some moment when we fit all of the words we might use to describe kids today.

We all have our opinions of how kids should act and when youth crosses a line. For some, kids an just a nuisances, they are too loud, whiney, messy and needy. I don’t think that it is everyone.

Where would our world be without kids….after about 50 years out world would start to die off! As a species on earth we would become extinct in 100 years

Renee and I have started to wonder what it will be like to have a house without kids. We have mixed feelings on that subject which usually depends on a moment by moment relationship.

When I was a kid there were several friends that I would go and visit and sometimes be asked to dinner and occasionally sleepover. Those homes were safe except perhaps for the plans that young boys have that can get them hurt.

I don’t know the exact facts but I know that people are raising their kids differently. There are more kids having kids and more homes that are not safe for their own kids much less for a kid down the street.

In too many homes the children are considered a nuisance. Sometimes they are considered mistakes and the reason the parents lives are so hard.

It is a hard reality that we have to have licenses for almost everything, driving, building, selling and even preaching. However, becoming a parent at any age has no license required. When families have problems because of mistakes and bad choices sometimes the kids get treated as if it was their fault. Many times it can move to a level of abuse.

So where is Tom Going today?

Perhaps most of us don’t value children for what they can teach us. As adults we think we know it all. We have learned at the school of hard knocks. That means we don’t need to listen to a snot-nosed kid, especially when It comes to knowing about the kingdom of God.

In our scripture today, we were reminded about how Jesus viewed children.

Mark describes an event where there were people bringing children to Jesus. They probably wanted Jesus to bless them. He would hold or touch the child and offer a short blessing. It was common for families to bring their children to Rabbi’s and traveling teachers and ask God to bless the child and family.

Most parents want the best for their children and that was no different thousands of years ago. In that time education was limited and unobtainable for most people. With on school to invest in to get a head start so their faith was something they could tap and it led them to seek a blessing every chance they could get.

Mark is describing an event when Jesus is teaching them important things. He has been talking about divorce and adultery. The people start bringing Little Children and wanted Jesus to touch them.

The disciples are aggravated. The people were not invited and the kids are a nuisance. The disciples start fussing at them and trying to send them away.

Jesus gets upset, the word used is “indignant.” That word is one that indicates anger…anger at an injustice or meanness.

His reaction is pointed to the disciples because of their actions toward little children.

Who were the people…. Probably women mothers or grandmothers who gather up the children in their care and found the traveling teacher. Probably most of the children were related to the care giver but there is a big chance that some of the children were the neighbor’s kids or nieces and nephews.

All they want is to see the teacher and receive a touch.

The disciples could be responding to the noise in a form of protection for their teacher, or it may be more of a how dare you interrupt us we are busy people.

Jesus response offers us additional information which we should consider a little deeper.

He says, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."