WJS12 – Jesus Saw Children

WJS12 – Jesus Saw Children

Scripture: Mark 10:13-16; Matthew 18:1-6 13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. 14 When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” 16 Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-16 NLT) “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” I remember singing this little chorus a really long time ago in church. I’m so thankful that the message of Jesus’ love for children has been a core part of the driving force for effective Children’s Ministry in churches all over the world that we’ve been privileged to serve through the years! When I was young, in my 20’s and 30’s, Jean and I had young children, and many of our friends were young couples who also had young children. So children were always around. Children were taken into consideration in all our plans. That’s as it should be. But I realized as I was thinking this through that in my 40’s and 50’s, as Jean and I lived overseas as missionaries, most of our work was focused on adults. We still kept a strong emphasis on Children’s Ministry training as we worked with churches and conducted training seminars, but my personal life was less involved with children. Now I’m back in the US and I have grandchildren, and children are more and more part of my daily life again. Seems like Jesus always had children around! Whether he was teaching, healing, feeding multitudes, or trying to get his disciples to see as he saw, children were in the picture. 2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 18:2-3 NLT) Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them! Prayer: Father, Please help us to never get so “grown up” that we no longer have children in our lives! Whether they’re our children, grandchildren, or children we serve elsewhere, may children always be part of our lives. And may we see them as persons, not objects. May we learn the simplicity the Kingdom requires from the children in our lives. Amen.