20^th October 2009

(Sunday 4 October 2009)

Lessons -- Psalm 78:1-8; Romans 8:12-17; Mark 10:13-16

    Jesus said, 'Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the
    Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.' (Mark 10:15 NRSV)

It is easy today, when children are often the centre of attention for doting parents and savvy advertisers, to become sentimental about children or to idealise them. Therefore we must take care to read this story in its original setting.  Jesus is teaching the disciples as he heads to Jerusalem and death at the hands of godly and civic-minded citizens. The disciples have been told that truly serving God involves receiving and welcoming 'little ones' (like children) without thinking about their own faith or goodness (9:33ff). Immediately before, they and the Pharisees are warned not to justify themselves in the matter of divorce but to treat marriage as a sacrament of grace (10:2ff).

Thus, the story of Jesus with the children is to be understood in the light of the contrast between being open to the costly grace of God and doing everything to justify ourselves before God.

In an earlier incident, the children represent all 'the little ones' whom Jesus' disciples are to serve. Here though they are models of discipleship itself!  They exemplify what it means to be 'children of God' (Romans 8:16). 

As usual, Jesus tells us what we would rather not hear!  What at first looks to be a simple, heart-warming story turns out to be an unexpected and unwelcome attack on our pretensions.

We don't know why the disciples were indignant that young children were being brought to Jesus.  Perhaps, not having reached the 'age of the law'  (12 years) when they would be tested in the faith (Bar Mitzvahs), they were thought too young to understand Jesus. Perhaps they were regarded as a nuisance.  Whatever their reasons, they experience Jesus' 'indignation'.

It is not simply that they have been bad-mannered or insensitive.

Elsewhere in the gospels 'being indignant' describes Jesus' anger in the face of evil, illness and unbelief. His own disciples have seriously misunderstood who he is and what it is to have faith in him!

They haven't understood that being 'children of the God' means having a 'childlike' faith, as Paul puts it in Romans. It has nothing to do with the supposed qualities of children, such as their innocence or 'inherent goodness'. And it is not to be confused with 'childishness'. 

The critical point is that little children have absolutely nothing to bring with which to justify themselves before God. They don't have any religious or moral achievements about which to boast. They are no better and no worse than other people. They play no active part in proceedings.

The reason they are blessed is just because they have nothing to show for themselves.  They cannot count on any achievements of their own -- their hands are empty.  (E Schweizer, The Good News according to Mark, p207). 

The Kingdom of God belongs to children and their like, not because of any merit or 'rights' of their own, but because they simply 'receive' it in an unselfconscious way without trying to earn it.  

This is a largely unwelcome word! The disciples are not alone in being 'indignant'. We spend so much time trying to justify our existence, make something of ourselves and prove our worth that we are offended when Jesus says that our self-conscious religious, moral and civic achievements count for nothing in the Kingdom of God.    

Instead of 'receiving' the Kingdom of God like a child, we much prefer to 'work for the Church' or to 'extend the Kingdom of God'. We busy ourselves with projects for the betterment of the Church and humanity and humbly pride ourselves on being public-spirited, decent and committed.  We don't like to be told by Jesus (or anyone else) that being true 'children of God' and 'entering the Kingdom of God' is to be found in 'receiving' the grace of God.  We don't like being on the 'receiving end' of anybody's largesse -- not least the largesse of God! It seems to demean our achievements and undermine our sense of self-worth.

In reality, however, to receive the Kingdom of God 'like a child' frees us from the desire to justify ourselves (in whatever we do) and enables us to glorify the God of grace and serve the 'little ones' of this world without being conscious of our own goodness.  We don't have to do things in order to justify ourselves and prove our worth to others, ourselves or God.   We are free to act in response to the unmerited love of God. 

This makes all the difference. Because we are accepted by God without consideration of our moral and religious achievements, we are free to worship God and treat others well without making our service of the Kingdom an occasion for self-congratulation.

We are free to live under the grace of God as embodied in Christ.  Those who live by childlike faith  don't need to draw attention to themselves or insist on their 'rights' or try to prove themselves by their pious, moral or (even) heroic actions.  'Children of God' simply live in the midst of the world, and take up their responsibilities with all their being, in grateful response to mercy already 'received' -- not in a desperate and futile attempt to earn acceptance! 

It is with such 'childlike' faith that we are invited to share in the communion of the Lord's Supper. One of the Uniting Church forms of invitation puts it superbly:

'This is the table of the Lord and he calls us to this sacred feast. Come, not because you are strong, but because you are weak; come, not because of any goodness of your own, but because you need mercy and help; . . . come, the Lord loves you and gave himself for you.'

Around the Lord's Table we gladly acknowledge that we have nothing to show to justify ourselves before God. What do any of us have to boast about in relation to the Lord who was crucified by godly and civic-minded people for his faith in God and love for 'the little ones'? In this Sacrament of Grace we come with empty hands and joyful hearts as children of God to receive the bread and wine of God's unmerited love embodied in Christ.

The story also reminds us of the other Sacrament of Grace. Perhaps we are meant to think of 'infant baptism' (v16) when Jesus took them in his arms and blessed them and laid his hands upon them.  If so, then we do well to hear again the words (from the French Reformed Church Liturgy) spoken to a child in the Uniting Church service of Baptism as a word to each of us:

Little child, for you Jesus Christ has come, has lived, has suffered; for you, he has endured the agony of Gethsemane and the darkness of Calvary; for you, he has uttered the cry, 'It is accomplished!'
For you, he has triumphed over death;
For you, he prays at God's right hand;
All for you, little child, even though you do not know it.
In baptism, the word of the apostle is fulfilled:
'We love, because God first loved us.'

As 'children of grace', therefore, let us gladly receive the Kingdom of God which has graciously come among us in the Person of Christ -- in the One who has truly touched our lives and blessed us with God's presence.

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Rev Dr Max Champion is minister in the St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is Chair of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA. 

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