Like a child

There’s an account which appears in all of the first three of the four gospels. That’s unusual in itself. It’s almost identical in all three books too. It’s all about entering the kingdom of heaven, which is what we’ve been considering for the last few days.

And it’s all about children.

People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.  Mark 10:13-16

Jesus says the same words in Matthew 19:13-15 too. The almost identical account in Luke 18:15-17 says that the people were bringing babies to Jesus. This reminds me of the whole concept of being born again that we looked at in John 3 the other day. This fresh start takes us right back to the very beginning. Just like a baby, we’re learning everything as if for the first time. We have to unlearn the ways of thinking and doing and being that the world has taught us and learn how to live Jesus’ way, his truth, his life.

The disciples didn’t get it, did they? They thought they were doing the right thing by trying to get rid of the children and babies. They were looking through the eyes of society at these children. They thought they would get in the way of Jesus’ teaching, they would be a distraction, they would be annoying. There was no place for children near Jesus. What could they possibly add to the situation? What could they possibly learn from Jesus? If we look at the way church is set up and the way we teach our little children, I wonder if we have actually moved on from that way of thinking at all.

It’s not just about tolerating the children. It’s about learning from them. Jesus is saying that they’ve got it right where we’ve got it wrong. Children know instinctively how to approach Jesus. They haven’t had it knocked out of them yet. We have to enter the kingdom of God as a child. That’s the only way. Jesus’ message is clear.

Later, the disciples fall into the trap of arguing over who among them is doing the best. It’s that whole comparison thing that we so easily fall into, isn’t it? We find ourselves looking around at how everyone else is doing. We see life as a competition, even spiritual life. We identify some people as more spiritual than us and others as less so. There’s a sense of rivalry developing among Jesus’ followers about who will get the best position in heaven, essentially who is Jesus’ favourite.

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. If anyone causes one of these little ones – those who believe in me – to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung round their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Matthew 18:1-7

This conversation is also recorded in Mark 9:33-37.

And so, let’s be clear. Jesus is saying that we can never enter his wonderful kingdom of light and love and wholeness and joy unless we change and become like the little children. And basically, the more like a child we are, the more we will get it right in terms of living in this kingdom. And then there’s how we treat others too. When we welcome another ‘child’ (another pilgrim starting out on this journey of faith), we’re welcoming Jesus. And if we do anything to harm their faith or put them off, then we will have to face the consequences. Jesus’ followers are all precious to him and they should all be precious to us too.

So what does it mean to you and to me to come to Jesus as a child. Firstly, there’s a difference between childlike and childish. Childlike is good; childish not so much. I guess for us to know how a child thinks and acts and loves and lives, we have to study a child or two. So here are my observations, but this is not a definitive list, I’m sure, and I’d love to hear your insights too.

1. Trust

A child is vulnerable. A baby comes into this world, unable to care for itself. It has to rely on the adults around to give it all that it needs. A baby expresses need and expects to have that need met. A baby is dependent. It has no choice.

As we grow, we get let down on occasions. We find it harder to trust others. We develop a fierce independence to protect us from getting hurt.

Jesus calls us to trust him as a child. To become vulnerable again. To trust him enough to express our deepest needs to him. To let go of that independence that asserts that we know best and trust him to lead us and provide for us.

2. Curiosity

A child is keen to learn and explore. Everything is exciting and new. There’s so much to learn. That’s why a child asks so many questions. They want to make sense of the world.

As we grow, many of us lose that sense of curiosity. Maybe we become too lazy or too busy or too distracted. Maybe it’s because we feel we know it all. Or know enough. Even on our faith journey, we can become complacent and lose that hunger and thirst for the wisdom that comes from God.

Jesus calls us to be constantly curious. To want to know, to want to experience, to want to understand. To be open to learning for the whole of our lives. To acknowledge that we don’t know it all, we will never know it all.

3. Wonder

A child will want to jump in every puddle and examine every dew-laden cobweb. The whole world is an adventure. There’s that look of wonder that we see on a child’s face, not just when opening a birthday present, but also when spotting a tadpole for the first time. Children are not embarrassed to express their joy. They don’t hold back.

As adults, we often lose that wonder along the way. We learn to be cynical and sceptical and start to act all grown up. We become more reserved. We get self-conscious about joy and excitement. It’s just not very sophisticated, is it?

Jesus talks a lot about joy. About living life to the full. He studies the tiniest of things in the natural world and gives them a spiritual significance. He celebrates wonder. He wants us to be excited about his kingdom – and to show it!

4. Acceptance

Children find acceptance easy. It’s not something they even consider. They’ll smile at anyone who smiles at them. They’ll play with anyone who plays with them. Class, gender, disability, race, religion….they don’t even notice any of those things. They take everyone they meet at face value.

As we grow older, we take on the values of the world and start to judge others by the standards of the world. Class, gender, disability, race, religion….all these things start to take on a greater significance. They affect how we treat people.

Jesus wants us to be more like that child who takes everyone they meet at face value. He wants us to see beyond those external things that we so often allow to define us and connect soul to soul, human being to human being.

So those are my four observations. I find these words of Jesus really encouraging because actually, being childlike is something that comes very naturally to me. I’m one of those people that never grew up. And for years, I was ashamed of this. I felt I was immature. I was never going to be sophisticated and stylish. I kept waiting to feel like a grown up and it just never happened. I tried to dampen down my exuberance.

And  now I don’t. Now I’m glad that I haven’t allowed cynicism and scepticism to take over. I take heart when I read this account, because I can see the truth in it for me. I can come to Jesus just as I am. I may be a very big child with wrinkles and grey hair but he’s welcoming me with open arms all the same.

It’s OK to be childlike. More than OK. It’s what Jesus is looking for in each one of us.

What would it mean for you to be more childlike as you live life to the full each day?

Come as a child.