Matthew 18:2-6 “Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, (3) and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (4) Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (5) Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. (6) "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture our Lord Jesus taught us that we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven unless we are first converted and become like little children. Some have thought that what Jesus was referring too was that we need to become as humble as little children, in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. But that is not what Jesus said at all. Jesus mentioned humility in this passage in the context of being great in the kingdom of heaven, not in the context on how to enter the kingdom of heaven. We do not enter the kingdom of heaven by being humble; we enter the kingdom of heaven by being born-again. And so we see that we are converted and become as little children when we are born-again, for it is at that point that we become babes in Christ. And so what Jesus is teaching us in this passage is that when we are converted i.e. born-again, then we become just like all little children already are; we enter the kingdom of heaven, in which they are already part of. There are two further truths about children that our Lord Jesus teaches us in this passage of scripture. The first is the severe warning that He gives to the one who would cause a little child to sin. Have you ever heard it said that you don’t need to teach children to be naughty because they are all just naturally naughty? If that were true, then why would Jesus hold us accountable for causing little children to sin, if sin is just part of their nature? The reason He holds us accountable is because it is not natural for children to commit sin, for they are born of God. The second truth that our Lord reveals to us in this passage is that all little children naturally believe in Him. For He said, “these little ones who believe in Me”. Again, the reason that children naturally believe in God is because they are born of God. Children believe what they are told; that is how God created them, for He created them to only ever be told the truth. Let that truth sink down into your understanding. And so to teach children anything but the truth is to cause them to believe a lie. Fairy tales may seem innocent, but they damage a child’s faith in God when they finally realize that fairy tales are not true.
Mark 10:13-14 “Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. (14) But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture we see how close to Jesus’ heart little children are, for the scripture says that He was “greatly displeased” when He found out that the disciples were trying to keep the little children from coming to Him. I can imagine that the disciples learnt very quickly not to transgress in this area again. So just why was Jesus so protective over small children? Jesus answers that question Himself in this passage, when He plainly tells us that “of such is the kingdom of God”. The reason that Jesus stated that children were of the kingdom of God, was because He knew that all children were born of God.
Michael E.B. Maher
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