Become as Little Children?
"And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the
midst of them, and said, 'Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven.'" --Matthew 18:2,3
Recently I
read an article in a Christian publication which affirmed that becoming as
"little children" meant that we should live simply, in
naivete, in the present, and in reckless confidence. I would affirm that this is emphatically NOT
what Christ meant. Further, such a view
is destructive to Christianity and overthrows Biblical faith.
Not a Simple Book
The Bible is not a simple book, and the Christian life is not a
simple life. Adam and Eve were created
in maturity, and man's progress through this world is away from the
"Garden" toward the "City" of God. We are to "occupy" (do business)
until Jesus comes again, using our pounds and talents the best we can.
Many Christians are lazy in theology, in moral choices, in
educating themselves so that they can serve the Lord in maturity. If the sermon goes longer than 20 minutes they
get restless. If it involves difficult
concepts, they complain. "We want
the simple Gospel," they whimper, as if anything Christ said was simple:
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God," for
intance. What does "Render unto
Caesar the things that are Caesar's" mean?
For the same reason they get impatient with "doctrine,"
as if the Bible were all on the kindergarten level.
Jesus Not Naive
Jesus knew what was in man and did not commit himself to many of
those who "believed" on Him (John 2:24,25). He knew that true discipleship could not be based on whoring
after signs and wonders, but upon the enlightenment of the soul. He did not judge childishly after the
outward appearance. He warned His
disciples against naivete when He said, "Be wise as serpents, and harmless
as doves." He told the Pharisees
to tell Herod, "Tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures
today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected," not exactly a naive or simple statement! (Luke 14:32)
In fact, the
writer of Hebrews complains that the Hebrew Christians were
"unskillful" or "without experience" (i.e. naive) in the
word of righteousness (Heb. 5:13,14).
Ephesians 4:11-14 tells us that the reason for the ministry gifts is
that we be "no more children," but mature (perfect) men.
Christ Looked to the Future
Jesus had clear, defined goals toward which all of His life
pointed. "Who for the joy that was
set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the
right hand of the throne of God," is the way the writer of Hebrews put
it. The very essence of childishness is
its preoccupation with the present. It
is true that Jesus told us not to be anxious about what we should eat and
drink, but that was because we are to be occupied in seeking the kingdom of
God, a very definite future-oriented task.
No Reckless Confidence
Jesus did not live in reckless confidence. Just the contrary. He did not turn stones into bread, because that was not in the
word of the Father for Him. He did not
throw himself off the temple. He
withdrew Himself from the multitude until it was "His time." He paid His taxes to avoid "offending
them."
Even on the cross His mind ticked off the prophecies to see if any
of them had not yet been fulfilled.
Finding that one remained unfulfilled, He cried, "I
thirst!" His steps were
disciplined and ordered by the Father; it borders on blasphemy to liken His
walk to the reckless running to and fro of little children.
What Did Jesus Mean?
The disciples were quarreling about who was to be the greatest in
the kingdom. A little child was a
perfect example to warn about such unworthy ambition. Children have much pride and self-seeking, yet they are often
humble to do the meanest task that adults will often despise. This is the lesson of Christ, and the object
lesson must not be pushed beyond the rest of Scripture.
A Different Lesson from Mark 10
Mark 10:14-16 teaches a different lesson. The disciples rebuked the people from
bringing little children ("infants" in Luke) to Jesus for
blessing. Because of Christ's answer we
assume that the disciples thought that the babes were too young to know
anything and therefore unworthy to be blessed.
Jesus rebuked them by saying that we can only "receive"
the kingdom as a little child does. We
do not "lay hold" on the kingdom; we must receive it as a gift. We are not Christians because of our proud
adult powers: intellect, knowledge, will, experience. We are Christians because Christ has taken us up in His arms and
blessed us. We do not enter the kingdom
by attaining a certain character, but because Christ has blessed us with living
and active faith. We love him because
He first loved us. Not the other way
around.
Christian Maturity
The goal of the Christian is maturity, responsibility, prudence,
skill, knowledge, righteousness, and thoughtfulness. In a childish, drug-obsessed age, a false message of simplicity
and naivete might be appealing, but it is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It fits more the irresponsible drug culture
of the "flower children" of the nineteen-sixties.
The Potter and the Clay
A related and equally unbiblical idea is that we must become clay
so that the Potter can mold us and make us after His will. Sinful autonomous man wants to retain the
initiative in his own hands, so he re-interprets Scripture. Poor God!
He can't make us what He wants us to be until we give Him permission.
The Apostle said it much differently: In Romans 9 he says that from the lump of sinful clay God can
make a vessel unto wrath or a vessel unto mercy. The initiative is His.
The clay doesn't decide. The Biblical truth causes us to fear and seek
knowledge and truth; not naivety and childishness. Return to Menu
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Pastor C. W. Powell
Trinity Covenant Church
6050 Del Paz Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
719-590-1477