Matt 18:1-4, Mark 10:14-16
Jesus says we are to receive the Kingdom of God like a little child.
He was saying this to reprimand the disciples. He was correcting their wrong thinking. The disciples thought that power and authority would be the things that mattered most in God’s kingdom. They want a special status. They feel that they are better than others.
That is how the world thinks - only those who are capable and intelligent will be honoured.
But Jesus tells them that just the opposite is true - that those who will be greatest in the kingdom of heaven – won’t be the people who are so full of themselves. They won’t be the people who feel that they are good, that they are better than others.
Instead, they will be like children – Jesus says, “…whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 18:4)
We are told to be like a child. Why? Children show certain characteristics that the disciples must learn from.
(1) Children look up to the adults around them, especially parents. They don’t want to be left alone. They feel secure when with parents are around.
(2) Children openly tell you what they need. They will not hide. They are not shy to tell you they needed help.
There are the two attitudes that we need to cultivate:
(1) ACKNOWLEDGE GOD’S GREATNESS
The disciples want to know who is the greatest. They wanted to be the special ones, the highly honoured ones in the kingdom of heaven. They were thinking about themselves.
A child does not think about his own greatness. He knows he needs his parents. In fact, left alone, the child cries and feels very insecure. He does not want to be left alone. They want adults to be around and almost all the time, not just any adults but their parents.
Why? They need someone whom they can trust, to be there for them, because they know they are not in control. They know they are not capable of doing things on their own. Someone needs to protect them, someone needs to help them. They are always looking up to someone else – one who is wiser, and bigger, and stronger than they are.
Here’s the point - in our relationship with God, we adults are in the same position as our children, except that we don’t know it. We sometimes behave as if we are running our lives, and that we are in control. We feel capable, and sometimes to such an extent that we feel we don’t really need God.
We need to know, that we are not in control. And like a child, to be always looking up to someone for security and for help.
We have to remind ourselves that we cannot handle life with our own wisdom or capabilities. We have no absolute control over our life.
We look at the news everyday. We see all kinds of forces - natural, social, political or economic forces at work around us – every day, over which we have little or no influence at all.
But we know we have someone who is wiser, bigger and stronger than we are.
The child knows that. The child often looks around to see if his parents are around. If they are not, they’ll start to cry, because they feel insecure.
Today, like a child, we must humbly acknowledge that there is this ‘Adult’ in our life – our heavenly Father. He is that someone who is bigger and stronger, that someone we can look up to. We are not in control but He is.
Jesus wants the disciples to look away from themselves – from seeing how great they are, and be like a child - to see how great the Father is. He is the King in the kingdom of heaven, and we are to look up to Him.
This perspective is critical, if we want to stay strong in a chaotic world like ours today. Our God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He will accomplish His purposes on earth and no one can thwart His plans.
When Pilate was questioning Jesus in John 19:9-11
“9 and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10"Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" 11Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."
In other words, Jesus is saying, "Pilate, the power you are exercising right now, at this very moment, doesn’t come from the Roman Empire. It doesn’t come from the legions of soldiers standing at your command. It doesn’t come from your throne, or your title, or your wealth, or your ancestry. Whether you realize it or not, your power comes from the one true God, who can take it back whenever he pleases."
Man likes to cling on to this illusion that they are in control. They feel that they can handle everything. They strive for power and status, because it feels good to be at the helm and with things under control. But they’re not. No matter how powerful they may be – they are not in control.
Only God is in control. In the book of Daniel, after receiving God’s healing, King Nebuchadnezzar praised God saying: “His dominion is an eternal dominion; His kingdom endures from generation to generation… He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’” (Dan 4:34-35)
The psalmist says in Psalm 135:6 “The LORD does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.”
Like a child who looks up to his father, we too look up to God and put our trust in Him.
This also mean that when we are on our knees praying, we can see more real power and influence than any man on high position. When we pray, God acts. And if He is the only one in control, then we can imagine what can take place. God acts to fulfil His will and purposes.
This is humility - the humble acknowledgement of God’s role, in our life and in our world today; that we are not ultimately in control, acknowledging that we need Him.
You see, humility is not telling yourselves you’re nobody, small and weak. Humility is saying that you are in need of God all the time. He is the Lord of your life, and therefore you’re going to worship Him often and glorify Him at all times.
The other reason why children are held up as an example of humility is that when a child looks at himself, he knows he needs help. The disciples look at themselves and they want to feel great.
A child does not pretend that they have no need. They have no hesitation telling you what they need. If they are hungry, they will tell you that they want to eat, and if possible, get them the food they like, immediately. A child will cry until he gets what he wants. They are dependent on you and they let you know it.
(2) ACKNOWLEDGE OUR NEED
Adults are different. We don’t usually admit our weaknesses and tell our needs. We prefer to be seen as capable, self-sufficient, and independent; fully capable of fending for ourselves. We like to be seen as strong.
Even if we are capable and competent, we are not superman. Superman belongs to the movies. We need to honestly admit that we need help. Don’t have to pretend to be strong. Peter boasted about following Jesus even to death but he chickened out. There is really nothing for us to boast. We boast in the Lord. It is He who causes us to stand strong.
A man, full of himself, will not enter the kingdom of God because he feels no need of God. We want to be like a child. We live in constant dependence upon our heavenly Father. This perspective is important. We’ll go through life happier and greatly blessed. Never grow beyond our dependence on God.
Christianity is about seeing our need of a Saviour; recognizing that we cannot become acceptable to God by our own efforts; admitting that we cannot save ourselves. And therefore, humbly coming before Jesus and seek His forgiveness.
And this is hard. Most people prefer to be in the position of the strong one; the one meeting other people needs. Yet it is important that we see ourselves as people who are in need too. Be humble like a child. A child is not shy to tell you he cannot.
So let us learn from a child’s example, and come to God in faith. Put your trust in Jesus Christ. And you will find that He can be trusted; that He can be relied upon; that He will do in your life everything He has promised. There is no friend more faithful and more compassionate than Jesus. Receive Him into your life like a child, and you will be greatly blessed.
