Mark 10:13-16
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.
I once saw a frazzled young mom take her wailing infant out of the sanctuary on a Sunday morning. Her poor face was red, the bag hanging precariously over her shoulder had stuff hanging out of every pocket, the kid was not about any of it, and she had a long, embarrassing walk from the fourth or fifth row. Not two seconds later, I watched an older lady slip out of her pew and follow her out. After a minute or two, the pair appeared again at the back of the sanctuary and stood at the door. The older lady behind the young mother looked to be whispering and cooing to the baby, who was surprisingly silent. The mom stood there, rocking back and forth with her child, for most of the rest of the worship service.
I didn’t know either of them very well, but that experience taught me something that I still carry with me. I also watched some of the faces of others in the congregation during the whole exodus experience. The responses were unfortunate, to say the least. The disappointment, the discontent, the disapproval, and the disdain that I witnessed stirred something in me. I’ll never forget those faces.
I’ll also never forget the far more impactful experience of seeing the two women in the back. I’ll never forget the way that the older lady restored some dignity for the young mom. I’ll never forget the way she went for her and brought her back. She “let them come” back when no one else lifted a finger.
It’s not the exact same thing as the story in Mark 10, but it is a reasonable extension of the same thinking. When a crying baby can get in the way of worship, something is amiss. It’s enough for a mom to carry a crying kid and a hastily repacked diaper bag, let alone the weight of their disappointment. Our rebukes don’t always come through words. They can come through a glance, too. They can come through a strategically placed sigh or a fake cough. We can rebuke one another with our body language alone and do the same damage.
There’s absolutely a lesson for us in what it means to be “like a little child.” There are some things worth wrestling with in ourselves and we should genuinely try to be “such as these.” Many of us have some room to grow when it comes to pure trust and open hearts.
But there’s also an answer in learning to receive. “Let them come to me,” He says to the disciples. Yes, there’s something in receiving Jesus’ blessing as a child but there’s also something equally powerful in receiving the children on His behalf. Maybe the deeper lesson in these verses is that they’re related, or even that they’re both the same thing. He places his hands on them. He blesses them. They receive it. Without question, without wonder, without regret, without remorse, without doubt.
May we learn to receive from the Lord in those same ways. And may we learn to receive others on His behalf, as well.
Reflect:
Again on today’s scripture. How have you read and understood this passage in the past?
Journal:
On ways you have been rejected or rebuked on your way to Jesus. If you’re courageous, on ways you’ve rejected or rebuked others on their way.
Pray:
For a childlike heart. For humility, for a pure trust, for an open heart. Pray to receive the Lord’s blessing and the blessing of others on His behalf… without question, without wonder, without regret, without remorse, and without doubt. And when you see them, pray for the young moms and dads in your own worship environment.