There are two
key thoughts here. First, Jesus is talking about actual children. His rebuke of
the disciples when they didn't welcome children, but pushed them away, is
clearly an example of that.
But, there is a
deeper issue that will dominate the rest of the chapter. Because children in
Jesus' culture were powerless, without rights, and vulnerable, they became the
symbol for disciples who are powerless, without rights, and vulnerable.
On the surface,
they may not have anything to offer the community. But Kingdom thinking is
upside down to "the way men think." To be on the side of God means to
be on the side of welcoming, accepting, and receiving "little ones"
whether they are actual children or simply disciples who are little in the
sight of the world.
Because Jesus
adamantly rejects the normal channels to fame and fortune and instead walks the
way of the cross—the punishment reserved for the powerless, those without
rights, and those who are vulnerable—his disciples should welcome and care for
those like their Savior!
Ways
of Waiting on God
Expectantly:
Psalm 62:5-6 - My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my
expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense;
I shall not be moved.
Psalm 123:3 - Have mercy on
us, O Lord, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
Micah 7:7 - Therefore I
will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will
hear me.
Continually:
Hosea 12:6 - So you, by the
help of your God, return; Observe mercy and justice, And wait on your God
continually
Thought
"You will
never find Jesus so precious as when
the world is one
vast howling wilderness. Then
he is like a
rose blooming in the midst of the
desolation, a
rock rising above the storm."
— Robert Murray
M'Cheyne —
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