Luke 18:15-17
“And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.”
-- KJV
I have but 205 cynical bones in my body.
I fight cynicism every day. How can I not. My life's experience holds heavy visions and memories that I wish on no one. I was born damaged from my mother's alcoholism. I survived a childhood that by logical measure I should not have. I tried time and time again to return to the place that would erase my memories. As an adult, I literally repaired the broken bodies of children who didn't survive their own dark catastrophic loss of innocence. Man continues to teach me daily that he is worthy of my spite.
Faith and Grace are the only glue that can repair the damage from the things I have seen and felt. Jesus did not want man to protect him from the innocence of the children, he wanted to protect the adults from their jaded believe that he needed to be. In so doing, he was teaching the adults in the room that their arrogance would lead them down the wrong path.
Children are closer to God, because they expect nothing from Him in exchange for their wonderment and they have no cynical bones in their bodies other than those created in them by adults.
Luke 18:15-17
WEB
The Little Children and Jesus
15
They were also bringing their babies to him, that he might touch them. But when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
16
Jesus summoned them, saying, "Allow the little children to come to me, and don't hinder them, for God's Kingdom belongs to such as these.
17
Most certainly, I tell you, whoever doesn't receive God's Kingdom like a little child, he will in no way enter into it.”
This may be the hardest battle to win. We live in a world where billions of dollars are spent on frivolity in the never ending quest for power, fame and fortune. The basic tenets of communism are from the teachings of Christ.
I know that is a statement worthy of choking on, but communism only fails because of the failure of the men behind it. Satan will never let the true values of Christ take over, because if that were to happen, there would be no place for him.
I believe God watches as we despise the time that is His gift to us. For Him, there is no constraint of time. For us, there most certainly is.
Version Study & Takeaway
- What was the depth of the "touch"? Was the touch of Christ skin deep or was he to touch the children's souls?
- Shall in no wise enter therein or no way enter into it?
One of these approaches suggests more passivity than the other. In context, "touched" has a connotation that I can't find in place his hands on as told by the NIV interpretation. Think of the song Touched by the Hands of God by New Order. "I was touched by the hands of God." The words take on a deeper spiritual effect. I don't think the easy interpretation here tells the whole story. Jesus may have meant the deeper idea of being touched. "I was touched by his generosity." Its deeper than simple surface contact.
The Takeaway:
When we pray to God, we should do so with the innocence of a child. The only way to do that is to leave our pride and our Earthly expectations at the door. Jesus' blessing of a child goes far deeper than skin-deep in its clear warning. What we learn from our time on this Earth is driving a wedge between us and God. Jesus warned us of this. Every day of life in the flesh aims to take us further from the innocence that can only come from the nativity of the children who only seek one thing from their father. Life.