Hammer on Anvil '

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" (Matthew 18:1-3).

In the ancient Roman world, little children were least important. But when Jesus came, old ways of measuring greatness were no longer valid. Jesus turned the world upside down when He told His followers they must become like little children.

To become like children, we have to know something about children. Here are some observations that came to mind as I meditated on this passage from Matthew:

• Children are marvelously simple human beings. They don't wake up in the morning and immediately start worrying about what the day might hold. They don't wonder what they're going to eat or wear -- those things are their parents' concern.

• Children don't lie awake at night and worry; their sleep is sweet.

• Children aren't concerned about what others think of them; that comes later, when society begins dictating how we should look and act.

• Children are joyful, and possess a delightful wonder about things. They are like sponges who crave learning to the point of saturation. Their needs are simple. They fall asleep when they're tired -- whenever and wherever that might be.

• Children forgive quickly and easily. They are not prideful. They don't sweat the small stuff.

• Children don't fear lack. They have implicit trust that their parents will meet their every need.

• Children are pure in heart, unsullied by the world.

• Children don't have an agenda; they look to their parents for direction and wisdom.

Our oldest son, Josh, and his wife, Bethany, are school teachers. Before Bethany took a sabbatical when their third daughter was born, I cared for our older two granddaughters full-time. When Evie (whose recent photo adorns this blog) was not quite one year old, she would wake in the morning, stand in her crib and reach for me with a huge grin on her little face. It's as if she was saying, "I'm ready, Grandma! What great adventures are we going to have today?" As you can see by the photo, she still embraces life with joy and gusto.

Imagine if WE began our days like Evie, excitedly looking to our Abba Father, breathless with anticipation about where He might lead us and how He might use us! This, I think, is the heart of a child: never losing sight of who our Father is, and that He is the source of all life. He created us, He leads us, and He equips us to do whatever He calls us to do.

In the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus exhorts His disciples: "Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me." But then, in Matthew 18, He says, "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

This dichotomy boggles my mind. Death to self versus becoming like little children?

But be assured there is a method in God's seeming madness. Jesus' admonition to become like children came on the heels of the disciples asking Him who would be greatest in the kingdom of heaven. They were still lobbying for a powerful Messiah; a humble one riding on a donkey wasn't what they had in mind.

I like how Matthew Henry's commentary explains this:

Our Lord set a little child before them, solemnly assuring them, that unless they were converted and made like little children, they could not enter his kingdom. Children, when very young, do not desire authority, do not regard outward distinctions, are free from malice, are teachable, and willingly dependent on their parents. It is true that they soon begin to show other dispositions, and other ideas are taught them at an early age; but these are marks of childhood, and render them proper emblems of the lowly minds of true Christians. Surely we need to be daily renewed in the spirit of our minds, that we may become simple and humble, as little children, and willing to be the least of all. 

Okay, now it's starting to look more like self-denial and taking up one's cross. Being like children doesn't necessarily mean being totally carefree. It means having a teachable spirit. It means not jockeying for position or authority or recognition. It means being dependent on your parents to meet your needs.

Where is the freedom in all that? It's in Jesus. He has made provision not only for our sins to be forgiven, but also for us to walk in newness of life. Many of us eagerly embrace that first provision, but may not be as familiar with the second. Instead of living life simply and joyfully as a child of God, we are burdened down with what we deem our "responsibilities" as Christians. We set out, sometimes by sheer willpower, to please God, only to find that we keep failing Him. So we make new resolutions and set out again, redoubling our efforts. And you got it -- we fail yet again.

The freedom, my friends, comes in realizing that we can't do anything to please God. He already knows that, which is why He sent Jesus. He has set us free from the Law (Romans 8). Yet when we try to do things for God in our own flesh, we enslave ourselves to the Law all over again.

God created the Law to convince us of our weakness and inability to fulfill it, so we would finally put our trust completely in God. Watchman Nee, in The Normal Christian Life, uses a drowning man to illustrate this dynamic:

A drowning man cannot be saved until he is utterly exhausted and ceases to make the slightest effort to save himself.

Where are you at this point in your walk with Jesus? Are you striving to please God in your flesh? Many times programs and outreaches and other "church activities" are what keep us away from God. It is easier to DO than to simply BE the child of God He wants you to be.

When we work at being acceptable to God, we deny all that Jesus accomplished on the Cross. Watchman Nee says, "Our every attempt to do His will is a denial of His declaration that we are utterly powerless to do so."

Yes I know -- this flies in the face of much we have been taught. It sounds like deliverance from the Law means we are free from doing what God desires, but of course that is not true. We are free from trying to do His will in our own strength, however. And that, my friends, is true freedom! It means no more striving, no more performing. It means resting in what God has already done for us, once and for all.