17/08/2020
Mark 10:15-16 "I assure you that whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it." Then he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on each of them, and blessed them.
Jesus had just been speaking to Pharisees about Moses' teaching about divorce. When they had left, people brought children to him to bless them but the disciples scolded them. However, Jesus stopped them and told them to let the children come to him. Jesus, throughout his Ministry, used symbols and parables to teach because maybe he wanted his listeners to contemplate and ponder more on what he was communicating. In this particular passage there is a symbol of 'children'. Children represent 'innocence'. Jesus makes a statement, 'I assure you that whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child (innocently without prejudices) will never enter it.' Because children take everything taught to them innocently: they do not question, when they ask and you give them an answer, that is what they take and they are quick to learn. How about adults? Just before this passage the Pharisees are questioning Jesus, not because they don't know but the Bible tells us because they want to trap him. Our faith as adults is driven by our propensity to reason out everything. Yet God requires a broken heart, a heart that will fully subdue to His instruction.
So in today's message our Lord Jesus Christ is teaching us to reduce ourselves to zero innocence and look up to him as a child looks up to his father or mother. He wants us to accept his instruction as openly as young children do and by doing so, he will bless not 'all of us' but 'each one of us' individually.
Have a blessed Monday.
